Background:

Mild acute pancreatitis is defined as pancreatic edema, without organic failure and without local complications. Its management consists in three basic elements: hydration, analgesia and fasting. Start refeeding when the patient haven´t pain and referring hungry, but exact time for this is not previously documented.

Objective:

To determine the tolerance to immediate oral feeding (8 hours after the start of management) compared to early feeding (48 hours) in patients with mild acute biliary pancreatitis.

Method:

Included all patient with mild acute biliary pancreatitis, and they were randomized in to two groups: A) early oral feeding (n = 30) and B) immediate oral feeding (n = 29). They were evaluated by a third blind observer (not involved in the study) for documented symptoms like nausea, vomiting, reactivation of abdominal pain, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, food tolerance and hospital stay.

Results:

There were no significant differences between both groups in the clinical data or in the biochemical studies. The hospital stay was significantly less in the group B (5.4 vs. 7.8 days; p < 0.003).

Conclusion:

Immediate oral feeding is well tolerated and secure in patients with mild acute biliary pancreatitis.

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