Early Feeding in Acute Pancreatitis in Children - A Randomised Controlled Trial

Acute pancreatitis (AP) in children has an increasing incidence and is at times associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite this, there is no high-quality evidence-based treatment for childhood AP and current practice is based entirely on historical approach and extrapolation from adult studies.

In this study, we evaluate the use of early enteral feeding in children with AP. The traditional approach to treating AP relies on fasting and intravenous fluids (or occasionally parenteral nutrition) assuming that this minimizes stimulation of an already inflamed pancreas. Contrary to this, evidence exists that early feeding of patients with AP may be beneficial. Randomized controlled trials of fasting vs. early oral diet in adult patients with mild AP, showed no differences in pain, serum amylase and CRP levels, but also shorter hospital stay in those fed earlier. Further data in adults with severe AP demonstrated that early enteral nutrition was associated with decreased mortality, infections and multiorgan failure. These benefits were lost if enteral nutrition was commenced 48 hour after admission. Suggested explanations for these findings include the possibility that enteral nutrition may maintain integrity and function of intestinal mucosa and reduce gut-origin sepsis.

Historically, nasojejunal (NJ) feeds were felt to be safer than oral or nasogastric feeds in the setting of AP by avoiding cephalic and gastric pancreatic stimulation. NJ feeds require moderately invasive tube insertion under radiographic or endoscopic guidance. Recent data suggest that oral feeding with a low fat diet was as safe as NJ feeding.

Several animal models of AP demonstrate that the exocrine pancreas is resistant to cholecystokinin (CCK) stimulation after the onset of AP, suggesting a mechanism for the lack of concern of exacerbating pancreatitis with enteral feeds.

Considering this data it is less certain that diet and fat restriction contribute to treatment of AP. To further challenge the prior conceptions of AP management it is necessary to explore the use of unrestricted diet (full fat) in mild-moderate pediatric AP, a population with recognized low complication risk.

Despite the mounting evidence to the contrary, it is still standard clinical practice to fast children with AP, and only slowly reintroduce feeds depending on the clinical improvement. This is largely due to the lack of clinical interventional studies in children with AP.