Table 1

Inclusion criteria

Necessary criteria
 First symptoms of acute pancreatitis not more than 96 hours before enrolment
Serum amylase or lipase increased at least threefold during this period
Spontaneous upper abdominal pain during this period
Written informed consent to participate in the study1-150
Supporting criteria (fulfilment of at least four required)
Local abdominal resistance
Subileus/ileus
Shock: pulse ⩾100/min and systolic blood pressure ⩽80 mm Hg for more than 10 minutes
Arterial Po 2 <60 mm Hg
Leucocyte count >12 g/l
C-reactive protein >120 mg/l
Fasting blood glucose >8.4 mmol/l1-151
Hypocalcaemia ⩽2.0 mmol/l
Serum creatinine >240 μmol/l
Characteristic findings of moderate or severe acute pancreatitis on ultrasound or contrast enhanced CT

  • ↵1-150 If the patient was not competent to give informed consent, the treating physician was allowed to decide in consultation with the patient’s family.

  • ↵1-151 This criterion was not applied in patients with pre-existing diabetes mellitus.