Nutritional support can improve the outcome from severe acute pancreatitis in two ways: first by providing the building blocks for tissue repair and recovery, and second, by modulating the inflammatory response and preventing organ failure, both of which are responsible for most of the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. This review discusses the evidence on which these statements are based.
Division of Gastroenterology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, M2 C Wing PUH, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA