Objective: To measure the therapeutic effects of regional arterial infusion (RAI) in combination with early enteral nutrition (EEN) in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP).
Methods: A prospective randomized controlled study enrolled patients with SAP. They were randomly divided into a conventional treatment group that served as the control and a combination therapy group that received RAI combined with EEN. The Acute Physiology, Age, Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores, the levels of serum biochemical indices, functional recovery, the incidence of complications and total effectiveness rate were evaluated.
Results: A total of 100 patients were enrolled in the study. The APACHE II scores and the concentrations of blood glucose, serum amylase, white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and IL-17 were significantly decreased, while albumin and serum calcium and total effectiveness rate in the combination therapy group were significantly higher than in the conventional treatment group. The combination therapy group had a significantly reduced time to abdominal pain relief, time of first defaecation, hospital stay and incidence of complications compared with the conventional treatment group.
Conclusion: The combination of RAI and EEN improved clinical biochemical indices, reduced the incidence of complications and promoted early recovery in patients with SAP.
Keywords: Early enteral nutrition; regional arterial infusion; severe acute pancreatitis.