Patient selection: acute pancreatitis
Risk factors for acute pancreatitis may include:
(1) alcohol abuse
(2) abdominal trauma
(3) drug- or toxin-induced pancreatitis
(4) gallstones
(5) ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)
The cause of death may be:
(1) severe hemorrhagic pancreatitis with shock
(2) diffuse intravascular coagulopathy (DIC)
(3) sepsis
Findings supportive of the diagnosis:
(1) evidence of extensive pancreatic inflammation AND fat necrosis
(2) markedly elevated levels of amylase and lipase
Differential diagnosis:
(1) post-mortem autolysis of the pancreas (which may show fat necrosis)
(2) other causes of sudden death
