Acute Pancreatitis: A Comprehensive Case Study Analysis and Report

This assignment presents a case study of a 63-year-old woman, B.K., admitted to the step-down unit with acute pancreatitis. The solution addresses the common causes of the disease, including factors like alcohol consumption, smoking, and gallstones. It outlines the necessary assessments the ED nurse should perform, such as checking vital signs, appetite, and family history. The document highlights the importance of diagnostic tools like CT scans and the need for patient consent. It analyzes abnormal assessment findings, including gastrointestinal issues, skin and musculoskeletal problems, and psychosocial distress. The solution interprets laboratory results, specifically elevated lipase and amylase levels, and discusses the significance of tests like ALP, ALT, BUN, and WBC counts in diagnosing and monitoring the severity of acute pancreatitis. References from sources like Crockett et al. (2018) and Van Dijk et al. (2017) are included to support the analysis.

Running head: ACUTE PANCREATITIS
ACUTE PANCREATITIS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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ACUTE PANCREATITIS
Answer 1
The common causes of acute pancreatitis are cystic fibrosis, ingested medicine, blood
with a higher level of calcium and triglyceride and consumption of heavy alcohol and
smoking cigarettes also leads to the disease (Jones et al., 2015). Gallbladder stone is another
cause of the disease. The stone gets stuck in the pancreatic duct, making the flow of
pancreatic fluid difficult hence causing injury.
Answer 2
The E.D nurse needs to check if B.K has a rapid pulse and whether she is losing her
appetite, ask B.K if she had been undergoing diarrhea. The nurse must check if the patient
has undergone any abdominal surgery or injury or she has anyone in her family with
pancreatitis.
Answer 3
Computed Tomography (CT) scan is recommended to diagnose patient with
pancreatic cancer. As the B.K’s pancreas was not visible due to bowel gas, dye needs to be
used; hence E.D needs a consent form to be signed by her. The nurse must ask B.K if she is
allergic to iodine to prevent any reaction from the dye. The nurse must record all the
medication and supplements B.K is taking if she is having kidney problems or is having any
piercing on belly or chest.
Answer 4
The abnormal signs in the assessment list are
Gastrointestinal and Pain: B.K is suffering from distended abdomen due to
improper bowel movement causing nausea and vomiting with the accumulation of gases in
the stomach, causing light palpation that is an involuntary spasm in muscles.

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ACUTE PANCREATITIS
Skin and musculoskeletal: The skin of B.K showed poor turgor that is due to
dehydration, which might be due to nausea and vomiting. As the skin of B.K is pale and cool
which is a sign of some abnormalities in the body.
Psychosocial: B.K was found anxious, restless, and lying in a semi fetal position,
which is not a sign of the normal individual. The assessment data proved that B.K is unfit and
needs immediate treatment.
Answer 5
The Lipase and Amylase level for B. K’s laboratory result proved that she is suffering
from severe pancreatitis.
Answer 6
The tests such as Lipase, amylase, ALP, and ALT are important for monitoring acute
pancreatitis.
High ALP and ALT mean that there is some obstruction in the duct whereas bile and
pancreatic fluid flows out. Consequently increasing the level of bilirubin (Crockett et al.,
2019). The high count for Lipase and Amylase means that amylase and lipase are present in
the urine as there is some problem in the pancreas. Therefore, the results are highly
significant to understand that the person is suffering from acute pancreatitis.
Answer 7
The normal BUN level or 60 above women is 23mg/dL, which is close to B.K’s test
result, so it can be assumed that her BUN is normal. Although if the creatinine level for
women is more than 1.2 mg/dL, then it is, the early sign for the renal disorder (Van DIjk et
al., 2017). As it is in primitive, the volume would get affected much but it is an early sign of
renal diseases. Hence, precautions need to be taken.

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ACUTE PANCREATITIS
Answer 8
Normal WBC count ranges from 4,500 to 11,000 mm3 (Portelli & Jones, 2017). As
B.K is suffering from acute pancreatitis, her WBC count is high showing the extent of the
disease process displaying the amount of trauma she is going through and the way her body is
fighting for the infection. High WBC can also be a sign of getting affected by pancreatic
cancer.

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ACUTE PANCREATITIS
References
Crockett, S. D., Wani, S., Gardner, T. B., Falck-Ytter, Y., Barkun, A. N., Crockett, S., ... &
Gupta, S. (2018). American Gastroenterological Association Institute guideline on
initial management of acute pancreatitis. Gastroenterology, 154(4), 1096-1101.
Jones, M. R., Hall, O. M., Kaye, A. M., & Kaye, A. D. (2015). Drug-induced acute
pancreatitis: a review. Ochsner Journal, 15(1), 45-51.
Portelli, M., & Jones, C. D. (2017). Severe acute pancreatitis: pathogenesis, diagnosis and
surgical management. Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases International, 16(2),
155-159.
Van DIjk, S. M., Hallensleben, N. D., van Santvoort, H. C., Fockens, P., van Goor, H.,
Bruno, M. J., & Besselink, M. G. (2017). Acute pancreatitis: recent advances through
randomised trials. Gut, 66(11), 2024-2032.