What Hospital Treatment for Pancreatitis Involves: Fasting, IV Fluids and Pain Control

The pain usually arrives after a meal, high in the belly, boring straight through toward the back. People describe folding forward over a pillow because sitting upright is unbearable. Then comes the emergency department, a blood test, and a phrase they did not expect: “Your pancreas is inflamed. We’re admitting you.”

What follows can feel oddly passive. There is no operation on day one, no dramatic medicine. Instead there is a drip, a cardiac monitor, a nurse asking about pain scores, and a sign above the bed saying nothing by mouth. Family members wonder aloud whether anyone is actually doing anything.

They are. Pancreatitis hospital treatment is deliberate, evidence-based, and more about protecting the body while the gland calms down than about attacking the gland itself. This explainer walks through what the fasting, the fluids and the pain control are for, how the plan shifts when a case turns severe, and what the days afterward tend to look like.

What does pancreatitis hospital treatment actually involve?

The pancreas is a hand-sized gland tucked behind the stomach that makes digestive enzymes and the hormone insulin. Pancreatitis means those enzymes have activated inside the gland instead of in the intestine, so the organ begins digesting its own tissue. That is the reason for the pain, and the reason the body reacts as if to a burn: fluid leaks out of blood vessels, blood pressure can sag, and the kidneys and lungs may come under strain.

No medicine switches this process off. Pancreatitis hospital treatment therefore has three practical goals. First, keep blood flowing well to the pancreas and every other organ, which is what the intravenous (IV) fluids are for. Second, keep the person comfortable enough to breathe deeply and move, because shallow breathing and lying rigid invite chest infections and clots. Third, watch closely for the minority of cases that progress to organ failure or dying tissue, so that intervention happens early rather than late.

Alongside those three, the team hunts for the cause. Gallstones and alcohol account for the large majority of cases, according to the NHS, and each has a specific follow-up plan. Blood tests (lipase or amylase, the pancreatic enzymes that spill into the bloodstream) confirm the diagnosis when combined with typical pain; Cleveland Clinic notes that levels around three times the normal upper limit are the usual threshold. Imaging, usually an ultrasound first, looks for stones in the gallbladder.

Everything else, from antibiotics to endoscopy to surgery, is reserved for specific situations. The core of care for most people remains monitoring, fluids, pain relief and an early return to eating.

What will the ER do for pancreatitis in the first hours?

The first hour is about ruling out the other causes of severe upper-abdominal pain that can mimic pancreatitis: a perforated ulcer, a heart attack, a blocked bile duct with infection, a leaking aortic aneurysm. So expect an electrocardiogram, a broad set of blood tests, and questions that may feel intrusive about alcohol, recent meals, medicines and family history. These are not judgment; they steer the plan.

A cannula (a thin plastic tube placed in a vein) goes in early, and IV fluids usually start before the diagnosis is even confirmed, because a person in this much pain who has been vomiting is almost always dehydrated. Pain relief is given through the same line. Anti-nausea medicine often follows. If vomiting is relentless, a nasogastric tube (a narrow tube passed through the nose into the stomach) may be used to drain stomach contents and relieve pressure, though Mayo Clinic notes this is no longer routine.

Emergency clinicians also score how sick the person is. Pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level, urine output and blood markers of inflammation and kidney function together predict whether this is likely to stay mild or become severe. A calm-looking patient with stable numbers goes to a general ward. Someone with a racing heart, low oxygen or a creatinine rising on the kidney test may be sent to a high-dependency or intensive care unit for closer monitoring from the outset.

An abdominal ultrasound is typically ordered within the first day to look for gallstones. A CT scan, which uses X-rays to build cross-sectional images, is usually not needed early and is saved for cases where the diagnosis is unclear or where complications are suspected later in the week.

Why are you told not to eat, and when does food come back?

For decades the rule was strict: nothing by mouth until the pain and enzyme levels had settled, on the theory that any food would provoke the pancreas into producing more enzymes and worsen the injury. That theory turned out to be too simple.

The pancreas does respond to food, but starving the gut has its own costs. The intestinal lining thins without nutrients passing over it, allowing bacteria to cross into the bloodstream and, potentially, into damaged pancreatic tissue. Prolonged fasting also weakens muscles and slows recovery. Current guidance from the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and Mayo Clinic supports starting to eat again as soon as nausea and pain allow, often within a day or two in mild cases, beginning with clear liquids or low-fat foods and building up as tolerated.

The brief initial rest still has a purpose. Vomiting makes eating impossible, and a distended, painful abdomen cannot handle a meal. So the typical sequence is: fluids by vein while the stomach settles, then sips of water, then a light low-fat diet. Nobody waits for enzyme levels to normalize before offering food.

When someone cannot eat for several days because pancreatitis is severe, nutrition is delivered another way. The preferred route is a feeding tube into the stomach or small intestine (enteral nutrition), because it keeps the gut working. Feeding directly into the veins (parenteral nutrition) is reserved for people who cannot tolerate tube feeding. Which route, and when, is a decision for the treating team based on how the illness is behaving.

Why IV fluids matter more than any single medicine

If one element of pancreatitis hospital treatment deserves top billing, it is the drip. The inflamed pancreas releases chemicals that make blood vessels leaky, so fluid shifts out of the circulation into the abdomen and tissues. Add the vomiting and the hours of not drinking that usually precede admission, and the circulating volume can fall sharply.

Why does that matter? The pancreas has a fine network of small vessels, and when blood pressure and flow drop, patches of the gland can lose their oxygen supply and die. Dead tissue, called necrosis, is the setup for the most serious complications: infection, abscess and prolonged illness. Adequate early fluid keeps those small vessels open. It also protects the kidneys, which are among the first organs to suffer when circulation is poor.

The modern approach is goal-directed rather than maximal. Nurses and doctors track pulse, blood pressure, urine output and blood markers hour by hour and adjust the rate. Giving too much fluid too fast has been shown to cause its own harm, including fluid in the lungs and abdominal swelling, so the era of flooding every patient has passed. The right amount is the amount that restores normal circulation, then holds it there.

Expect the drip to stay in for at least the first day or two, sometimes longer in severe disease, and expect to be asked to use a measuring container when you urinate. That request is not about hygiene; it is one of the most useful numbers on the chart.

How pain is controlled in hospital, and what to expect

Pancreatitis pain is among the most intense in medicine, and undertreating it is not a virtue. Pain that keeps someone rigid and shallow-breathing raises the risk of pneumonia and slows the return to eating, so most guidelines, including the NHS treatment guidance, place effective pain relief near the top of the list.

Relief usually begins with medicines given into the vein because oral tablets cannot be absorbed reliably when a person is vomiting. Opioid analgesics (medicines that act on pain receptors in the brain and spinal cord) are commonly used for the first days because milder options rarely suffice. An older concern that one particular opioid might tighten the muscular valve at the pancreatic duct outlet has not translated into worse outcomes in studies, and clinicians choose among options based on kidney function, other medicines and individual response.

As the inflammation subsides, pain relief steps down: from IV to oral, from stronger to milder, until nothing is needed. The pace varies from person to person and is set by the prescribing clinician, never by a fixed schedule. Anyone worried about opioid exposure should say so; teams routinely plan the taper alongside the main treatment and can add non-drug measures such as positioning and warmth.

A few practical points help. Report pain honestly on the scale the nurses use; understating it delays the adjustments that make breathing and moving easier. Ask before taking anything from home, including over-the-counter painkillers. And know that pain returning sharply after it had been easing is a signal the team wants to hear about, not something to endure quietly.

Who is admitted, who goes to intensive care, and who is asked to wait

Nearly everyone with a first attack of acute pancreatitis is admitted, even when it looks mild, because the illness can change direction within the first 48 hours and because pain and vomiting are hard to manage at home. According to the NHS, around 4 in 5 cases are mild and improve quickly; roughly 1 in 5 become severe, with complications that can affect other organs.

The people who move to a high-dependency or intensive care unit are those whose scoring suggests organ strain: low blood pressure that does not respond to fluid, falling oxygen levels, worsening kidney function, or confusion. Older adults, people with obesity, and those with other serious conditions such as heart or lung disease are watched more closely from the start because they have less reserve.

Who is asked to wait? Several groups, and for good reasons. People whose gallstones caused the attack are usually asked to wait for gallbladder surgery until the acute inflammation has begun to settle, though the NHS advises this typically happens within two weeks rather than months later, to prevent a second attack. People with suspected necrosis are asked to wait for any drainage or debridement procedure, because early intervention in dead but uninfected tissue tends to do more harm than good; teams often wait several weeks for the tissue to “wall off” into a defined collection. And anyone whose pancreatitis stems from alcohol is asked to wait before drinking again, with the NHS recommending complete avoidance for at least six months after an attack, and permanent abstinence when alcohol was the cause.

Discharge criteria are practical: eating, drinking, passing urine normally, pain controlled with oral medicine, and a clear plan for the cause.

Mild versus severe acute pancreatitis: how the plan changes

Two people admitted on the same afternoon with the same diagnosis can have very different weeks ahead. The table below summarizes how care typically diverges, drawing on NHS and NIDDK guidance. Individual plans always depend on the treating team’s assessment.

Element of care	Mild acute pancreatitis	Severe acute pancreatitis
Where you are cared for	General medical or surgical ward	High-dependency or intensive care unit
IV fluids	First 1–2 days, then taper as drinking resumes	Continued and adjusted hour by hour against urine output and blood pressure
Eating	Light, low-fat diet usually within 1–2 days as tolerated	Tube feeding into gut if unable to eat for several days; IV nutrition only if tube feeding fails
Pain relief	IV at first, switching to oral within days	IV for longer; sometimes epidural or continuous infusion
Imaging	Ultrasound for gallstones; CT rarely needed	CT after several days if complications suspected; repeat scans as needed
Antibiotics	Not given unless a separate infection is found	Given only for confirmed or strongly suspected infected necrosis or cholangitis
Procedures	Gallbladder removal, often within 2 weeks if stones were the cause	Endoscopic or minimally invasive drainage of infected collections, typically after several weeks
Typical hospital stay	Improvement within about a week; NHS cites 5–10 days for most	Weeks to months, depending on organ support and complications

The columns are not fixed destinations. Someone who starts in the mild column can shift right if their numbers worsen, which is precisely why the first 48 hours involve so many observations. Equally, a person who needed intensive care early may recover fully without any procedure at all. The plan follows the physiology, not the label.

Finding the cause: gallstones, alcohol and the rest

Treating the attack without treating the cause is how second attacks happen, so identifying why the pancreas became inflamed is part of the admission, not an afterthought.

Gallstones are the leading cause. A small stone leaving the gallbladder can lodge briefly where the bile duct and pancreatic duct meet, backing up enzymes into the gland. An ultrasound checks the gallbladder, and liver blood tests hint at a duct that has been blocked. If stones are found, gallbladder removal is planned once the inflammation settles.

Alcohol is the second major cause and the leading cause of chronic pancreatitis. The mechanism is partly direct toxicity to pancreatic cells and partly the thickening of pancreatic secretions that plugs small ducts. There is no safe threshold to return to after an alcohol-related attack; the NHS advises avoiding alcohol permanently in that situation, and support for stopping is offered during the admission for exactly this reason.

The remaining causes are individually less common but matter because each has a different fix. Very high blood triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood) can trigger attacks and are managed with diet and medicines chosen by the treating team. High blood calcium points to a parathyroid problem. Certain prescription medicines are known triggers, and the team may adjust them, though patients should never stop a prescribed medicine on their own. A minority of cases follow an endoscopic procedure, an injury, an infection, or a genetic tendency. When no cause emerges after a thorough search, clinicians use the term idiopathic and may arrange further imaging of the bile ducts in the following weeks.

Antibiotics, ERCP and gallbladder surgery: what acute pancreatitis treatment guidelines say

Three interventions come up in almost every family conversation on the ward, and each has a clear place in current acute pancreatitis treatment guidelines.

Antibiotics are not given routinely. Inflammation looks like infection on blood tests, with fever and a raised white cell count, but in most cases it is sterile, and giving antibiotics preventively has not been shown to reduce infected necrosis or deaths in mild or moderate disease. Guidelines reserve antibiotics for confirmed infection, most often infected necrosis detected days into a severe course, or for cholangitis, an infection of the bile ducts. Teams may also treat a separate problem such as pneumonia or a urinary infection when it is found.

ERCP, short for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, is a procedure in which a flexible camera is passed through the mouth to the point where the bile duct enters the intestine, allowing a trapped stone to be removed. It is not a routine part of treating gallstone pancreatitis. Guidelines recommend urgent ERCP when there is cholangitis or a persistently blocked bile duct, and otherwise advise against it, because the procedure itself can provoke pancreatitis.

Cholecystectomy, the surgical removal of the gallbladder, is the definitive step for gallstone pancreatitis. Removing the reservoir removes future stones. For mild attacks, the NHS notes this is often done within two weeks, sometimes during the same admission, because delay leaves a window for recurrence. After severe attacks the operation is postponed until collections around the pancreas have resolved. The surgeon and gastroenterologist decide timing together, weighing fitness for anesthesia against the risk of waiting.

How long does pancreatitis last, and what the following days usually look like

How long does pancreatitis last? For the majority, the answer is reassuringly short. The NHS states that most people with acute pancreatitis improve within a week and are well enough to leave hospital after 5–10 days. Severe cases take longer, sometimes several weeks, and complications can stretch recovery over months.

The first two days are the most uncertain. Pain is at its worst, observations are frequent, and the team is deciding whether the case is heading toward the mild or severe column. By day two or three in a mild case, nausea has usually faded, the drip rate is coming down, and the first low-fat meal appears. Many people are surprised by how quickly appetite returns once vomiting stops.

Days three to five typically bring the switch from IV to oral pain relief, a walk along the corridor, and conversations about the cause: a surgical consultation if gallstones were found, or a referral to alcohol support services if drinking was implicated. Discharge usually follows when eating, drinking and pain control are stable on tablets alone.

The weeks after discharge involve gradual return to normal diet, with low-fat choices favored initially because fat is the strongest stimulus to pancreatic secretion. Fatigue is common and can outlast the pain by several weeks. Follow-up appointments check that enzyme levels and liver tests have settled and that the planned cause-directed step, most often gallbladder surgery, is booked. Blood sugar is sometimes checked in the months afterward, since the pancreas also makes insulin and a severe attack can temporarily or permanently affect that function. Mayo Clinic notes that repeated attacks, over time, can lead to chronic pancreatitis with lasting effects on digestion.

Can you treat acute pancreatitis at home?

Can you treat acute pancreatitis at home? The honest answer is no, not for a first attack or for any attack with significant pain and vomiting, and the reasoning is worth understanding rather than simply accepting.

The first reason is uncertainty. Severe upper-abdominal pain has several life-threatening causes, and distinguishing pancreatitis from a perforated ulcer, a bile duct infection or a cardiac event requires blood tests and imaging that cannot happen in a kitchen. Even once pancreatitis is confirmed, nobody can tell in the first hours whether it will stay mild; the deterioration toward organ failure is sometimes silent until it is advanced.

The second reason is that the core treatment is intravenous. Someone who is vomiting cannot drink enough to replace what the inflamed pancreas is pulling out of the circulation, and cannot absorb oral pain medicine reliably. The drip and the monitoring are the treatment; without them, the plan has no engine.

The third reason is complications. Infected necrosis, bleeding, and fluid collections that press on the stomach or bile duct declare themselves days into the illness, when a person at home might attribute new symptoms to the original problem.

Home does have a role afterward. Once discharged, the tasks that matter most are yours: eating a low-fat diet at first and rebuilding gradually, drinking enough water, avoiding alcohol entirely, taking prescribed medicines exactly as directed, keeping the follow-up and surgical appointments, and knowing the red-flag signs that mean returning to hospital. People with established chronic pancreatitis may manage flare-ups at home under a plan agreed with their specialist, but that plan is built individually and never applies to a first episode.

What people often get wrong about pancreatitis hospital treatment

Misunderstandings cluster around a few themes, and correcting them makes the admission easier to bear.

The first is that fasting is the treatment. It is not. The short break from eating exists because vomiting and pain make meals impossible, not because starvation heals the gland. Guidelines now favor early feeding, and a person who feels hungry on day two should say so rather than assume they are supposed to wait.

The second is that only heavy drinkers get pancreatitis. Gallstones cause more cases than alcohol, and gallstones are common in people who have never had a drink. Assuming otherwise leads to unfair shame and, occasionally, to missed diagnoses when a person insists their symptoms cannot be pancreatitis.

The third is that antibiotics should be started immediately because there is fever. Fever in early pancreatitis reflects inflammation, not infection, and preventive antibiotics have not been shown to help in mild or moderate disease. Withholding them is evidence-based care, not neglect.

The fourth is that surgery is the main treatment. Operations on the pancreas itself are uncommon and are reserved for infected dead tissue, usually weeks in and increasingly performed through minimally invasive routes. The surgery most people actually have is gallbladder removal, and it is preventive.

The fifth is that once the pain has gone, the problem is over. Enzyme levels and imaging can lag, complications can emerge after discharge, and the cause still needs addressing. The person who goes home, feels well, skips the surgical clinic and returns to previous drinking habits has the highest chance of a second admission.

A final one: that a particular drink or supplement can settle the pancreas. There is no evidence for any such product. Water, and what the team advises, is the answer.

Chronic pancreatitis: when hospital care looks different

Chronic pancreatitis is long-standing inflammation that has scarred the gland, gradually reducing its ability to make digestive enzymes and, later, insulin. Alcohol is the most common cause, according to the NHS, but genetic factors, autoimmune disease and repeated acute attacks also contribute. Hospital care for chronic disease is shaped by different priorities.

Flare-ups are managed much like acute attacks, with fluids and pain relief, but they are often shorter, and the person may already have an agreed plan with their specialist. The bigger challenges are ongoing rather than episodic. Pain can become persistent and is managed by a stepped approach that includes non-opioid medicines, nerve-targeting medicines, and in selected cases endoscopic or surgical procedures to relieve blocked ducts. Pain specialists are frequently involved.

Maldigestion is addressed with pancreatic enzyme replacement, capsules containing the enzymes the gland no longer produces, taken with meals to allow fats and proteins to be absorbed. Signs that this may be needed include weight loss and oily, floating stools; the assessment and prescription sit with the gastroenterology team. Fat-soluble vitamin levels are monitored because they are absorbed poorly without enzymes.

Diabetes develops in a proportion of people as insulin-producing cells are lost, and it is managed jointly with a diabetes team since it behaves differently from the more common types. Bone health is checked because malabsorption and inflammation weaken bone.

Chronic pancreatitis also carries a raised long-term risk of pancreatic cancer, so new or changing symptoms are investigated rather than assumed to be the underlying condition. Stopping alcohol and smoking are the two lifestyle measures with the strongest evidence for slowing progression, and hospital teams offer structured support for both.

Questions to ask your care team

Ward rounds move quickly, and the questions that matter most often surface after the doctors have left. Writing them down helps, and so does asking a family member to be present. These are the ones patients and relatives tend to find most useful.

• What do you think caused this attack, and what tests are still pending to confirm it?
• Is my case currently mild, moderate or severe, and which numbers are you watching to decide?
• When can I start drinking and eating, and what should the first meals look like?
• What is the plan for pain relief over the next few days, and how will it be stepped down?
• If gallstones are the cause, when is gallbladder removal being planned, and will it be before I go home or afterward?
• Will I need a CT scan, and if so, what are you looking for?
• Are there signs of complications such as fluid collections or dead tissue, and how would you manage them?
• Which of my regular medicines should continue in hospital, and are any of them suspected of contributing?
• What support is available if alcohol played a role, and can that start before discharge?
• Once home, which symptoms mean I should come straight back, and who do I call?
• When is my follow-up, who will see me, and which blood tests or scans will be repeated?
• Should my blood sugar be checked in the coming months?

Answers will differ from person to person. What matters is that the reasoning behind the plan is shared, that the cause is addressed and not just the attack, and that the person going home knows exactly what would bring them back. Decisions about every element, from feeding route to surgical timing, remain with the treating team, who can weigh the full picture.

When to call your doctor: red-flag signs during and after pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis can change course quickly, both in hospital and after discharge, and the signs that should prompt a call or a return are specific.

Seek emergency care immediately for severe upper-abdominal pain that does not ease with prescribed pain relief, especially if it spreads to the back or comes with repeated vomiting so that nothing stays down. Do the same for a fever with shaking chills, which after a pancreatitis admission can indicate infected tissue or a bile duct infection; for yellowing of the skin or eyes, or dark urine with pale stools, which suggest a blocked bile duct; for shortness of breath, chest pain or a racing heart; for feeling faint, confused or unusually drowsy; and for passing much less urine than usual over a day. Vomiting blood or passing black stools also warrants urgent assessment.

Contact your doctor promptly, within the day, for a swollen or tender abdomen that is getting worse rather than better, for an inability to keep fluids down for more than a few hours, for new oily or greasy stools that float and are hard to flush, or for unexplained weight loss in the weeks after discharge. Persistent tiredness that is not improving after a couple of weeks, or new excessive thirst and frequent urination, are worth mentioning at follow-up since they can reflect changes in blood sugar.

While still in hospital, tell a nurse straight away about any new or returning pain, difficulty breathing, or a sense that something has changed. Those observations are genuinely part of the monitoring. Every decision about investigation and treatment rests with the team looking after you, and the sooner they know, the more options they have.

Frequently asked questions

What will the ER do for pancreatitis?

The emergency department will confirm the diagnosis with blood tests for pancreatic enzymes, rule out other dangerous causes of abdominal pain with an electrocardiogram and further tests, start intravenous fluids and pain and anti-nausea medicine, and score how severe the attack looks. An ultrasound to check for gallstones is usually arranged early. Almost everyone is then admitted for monitoring.

What drink is good for pancreatitis?

Water is the only drink with a clear role, and only once your team says you may start sipping. No juice, tea, broth or supplement drink has evidence for settling the pancreas. Alcohol must be avoided completely. In the recovery weeks, clear fluids and low-fat options are favored because fat stimulates pancreatic secretion; your team or dietitian can advise on specifics.

How long does pancreatitis last?

Most mild attacks of acute pancreatitis improve within about a week, and the NHS reports typical hospital stays of 5–10 days. Severe cases with organ strain or dead tissue can take weeks to months. Tiredness often outlasts the pain by several weeks. Chronic pancreatitis is a long-term condition managed over years rather than an illness that ends.

Can you treat acute pancreatitis at home?

No, a first or significant attack needs hospital care, because the diagnosis must be confirmed, fluids and pain relief are given intravenously, and complications can appear silently in the first days. Home care matters after discharge: low-fat eating, hydration, no alcohol, prescribed medicines as directed, and returning promptly if red-flag signs appear.

Why can't I eat in hospital with pancreatitis?

The pause is short and practical: vomiting and severe pain make meals impossible in the first hours. Fasting itself is not the treatment. Once nausea settles, guidelines recommend restarting light, low-fat food early, often within a day or two, because an unused gut lets bacteria cross into the bloodstream and slows recovery.

Do you need antibiotics for pancreatitis?

Usually not. Early fever and raised inflammation markers reflect sterile inflammation, and preventive antibiotics have not been shown to reduce infected tissue or deaths in mild or moderate cases. Antibiotics are used when infection is confirmed or strongly suspected, such as infected necrosis, cholangitis, or a separate chest or urinary infection.

Will I need surgery for pancreatitis?

Surgery on the pancreas itself is uncommon and reserved for infected dead tissue, typically weeks into a severe illness and increasingly through minimally invasive routes. The operation most people have is gallbladder removal when stones caused the attack, planned to prevent recurrence, often within two weeks of a mild attack according to the NHS.

What is the difference between acute and chronic pancreatitis treatment?

Acute treatment is short and supportive: fluids, pain control, early feeding, monitoring, then addressing the cause. Chronic pancreatitis involves long-term management of persistent pain, enzyme replacement for poor digestion, monitoring for diabetes and bone thinning, stopping alcohol and smoking, and surveillance for complications. Flare-ups are treated similarly to acute attacks.

How is pancreatitis pain controlled?

Pain relief starts intravenously because vomiting prevents reliable absorption of tablets, and opioid analgesics are commonly needed at first. As inflammation eases, medicines are stepped down to oral and milder options on a pace set by the prescribing clinician. Effective relief matters medically: it allows deep breathing and movement, lowering the risk of chest infection.

Can pancreatitis come back after hospital treatment?

Yes, if the cause is not addressed. Retained gallstones or continued alcohol use are the commonest reasons for a second attack, which is why gallbladder surgery is scheduled promptly and alcohol avoidance is advised. Repeated attacks can progress to chronic pancreatitis. Keeping follow-up appointments and completing the cause-directed plan is the best protection.

References

• NHS: Acute pancreatitis, treatment
• NIDDK (NIH): Treatment for Pancreatitis
• Cleveland Clinic: Pancreatitis
• MedlinePlus: Pancreatitis

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.