1 What is the Role of Nutrition in Acute Pancreatitis Patients with Sepsis? Student Names Shoreline Community College NURS 221: Nursing Practice & Complex Health Disturbances Emily Howerter MN, RN, CNE & Anna Sterner MN, RN, CNE February 22, 2022 2 Li, X., Ma, F., & Jia, K. (2014). Early enteral nutrition within 24 hours or between 24 and 72 hours for acute pancreatitis: evidence-based on 12 RCTs. Medical Science Monitor: International Medical Journal of Experimental and Clinical Research, 20, 2327-2335. https://doi-org.ezproxy.shoreline.edu/10.12659/MSM.892770 This is a meta-analysis journal that reviews the effectiveness of early enteral nutrition (EEN) in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (AP). It combined multiple similar studies on administration of EEN in AP and pulled data with statistically significant results that helped develop more precise analysis on the benefits of EEN in AP for the targeted audience of primarily clinicians and researchers. This provides a reliable resource as it is peer reviewed, authors acknowledged the minor differences among studies and addressed the publication bias. They clarified what tools are used and how data are interpreted. However, the number size of studies was small which limits the reporting data. The article is focused on the effects of EEN on potential complications of AP such as infection, organ failure, hyperglycemia, and sepsis. The study revealed EEN within 24 hours of admission significantly lower mortality rates than EEN administered at 24-72 hours. This article addresses the research question, “What is the role of nutrition in acute pancreatitis patients with sepsis?”. The following terms were used in searching in the databases: “enteral feeding,” “acute pancreatitis,” and “nutrition.” This not only discovers the importance of nutrition in septic AP, but EEN is critical to decreasing mortality. The case study patient is at high risk for malnutrition from AP and is showing signs of septic reaction. This puts the patient at risk for worsening infections due to poor nutrition management. Therefore, preserving the integrity of the gut reduces the possibility of sepsis, respiratory and organ failure. 3 Pan, L.-L., Li, J., Shamoon, M., Bhatia, M., & Sun, J. (2017). Recent advances on nutrition in treatment of acute pancreatitis. Frontiers in Immunology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2017.00762 This is an example of an evidence-based peer-reviewed article that addresses the research question. The key terms used to find this article are “nutrition,” “treatment,” and “acute pancreatitis.” It is considered a primary research article because it discusses new research findings and contributes to current knowledge of research regarding nutrition in the treatment of acute pancreatitis. It contains an abstract, introduction, and conclusion. It uses evidence, such as clinical trials and studies, to examine various nutritional strategies and interventions to manage AP. The targeted audience would be directed at clinicians who are involved in the management of acute pancreatitis patients. The strengths of the article are that it is peer-reviewed, and it compiles data to support findings. The authors address bias by acknowledging that there are “heterogenous etiological factors and varying clinical manifestations with AP” (Pan et al., 2017). A weakness is that it lacks a description of the methods used. The focus of this research is the importance of nutritional intervention in managing AP. The research concludes that enteral feeding with the combination of nutritional supplements can reduce the severity of AP, but further evaluation would be necessary. This is relevant to the scenario patient because she is presenting symptoms that may indicate sepsis related to acute pancreatitis. Nutrition plays a role in maintaining gut barrier function to prevent and treat systemic complications. The nursing implication includes consideration of multiple nutritional interventions in the patient’s care to improve their health outcome. 4
