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Amylase testing for abdominal pain and suspected acute pancreatitis
Author(s) -
Barbieri John S.,
Riggio Jeffrey M.,
Jaffe Rebecca
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of hospital medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.128
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1553-5606
pISSN - 1553-5592
DOI - 10.1002/jhm.2544
Subject(s) - medicine , acute pancreatitis , abdominal pain , pancreatitis , acute abdominal pain , hospital medicine , intensive care medicine , general surgery
The “Things We Do for No Reason” (TWDFNR) series reviews practices which have become common parts of hospital care but which may provide little value to our patients. Practices reviewed in the TWDFNR series do not represent “black and white” conclusions or clinical practice standards, but are meant as a starting place for research and active discussions among hospitalists and patients. We invite you to be part of that discussion. A 37-year-old man presents to the emergency department complaining of acute onset abdominal pain associated with nausea and vomiting. The pain is constant and achy in nature. It is located in the upper abdomen and radiates to the back. The patient reports binge alcohol consumption the day prior to the onset of his pain. His physical examination is remarkable for fever, with a temperature of 100.68F and epigastric tenderness to palpation without rebound or guarding. He is not hypotensive, and there is no evidence of the Cullen sign or Grey-Turner sign. In this patient presenting with acute abdominal pain, is ordering amylase alone, lipase alone, or amylase and lipase together the most high-value method to evaluate him for acute pancreatitis?