Association of the PANC-3 Score With Outcomes of Patients Presenting With Acute Pancreatitis

Abstract BACKGROUND: Early recognition of severe acute pancreatitis and intervention can improve outcome of acute pancreatitis. Using three easily available parameters namely serum hematocrit, body mass index (BMI) and pleural effusion on chest X-ray, PANC 3 score predicts severity of acute pancreatitis, ICU (Intensive Care Unit) requirement, mortality and need for early referral. It is easy for triaging and doesn’t need complex calculation. With scarce evidence available on its use in Nepal, this study was conducted to evaluate the association of PANC 3 score with outcome of patients with acute pancreatitis. METHOD: This cross sectional analytical study was done in patients of acute pancreatitis admitted in Patan Hospital. Outcome of patients was evaluated as in-hospital mortality, ICU admission and duration of hospital stay. The data analysis was done in Easy R software. P-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULT: Out of 117 cases, PANC 3 score was < 1 in 67 patients (57.26%) and ≥ 1 in 50 (42.73%) cases. ICU management was required in 6 cases of PANC 3 score < 1 with significant association between ICU requirement and PANC 3 score (p = 0.00016). 5 cases (4.27%) of in-hospital mortality occurred in the group with a PANC 3 score ≥ 1, with a statistically significant p-value (p = 0.029). Duration of hospital stay increased with increased PANC 3 score (p = 0.0003). CONCLUSION: PANC 3 score was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality, increased requirement of ICU and longer hospital stay. So, PANC 3 score can be used for predicting outcome of patients.