Pulmonary function and fibrinogen metabolism in acute pancreatitis

Abstract

Summary Respiratory complications were studied in 50 patients with acute pancreatitis, and the relationship of these complications to parameters of fibrinogen metabolism was investigated. The mean arterial Po2 of the patients was 9·85±3·8 kPa (s.d.). Forty-three per cent of patients on admission were hypoxaemic. The mean Po2 was lower in patients who subsequently developed complications of acute pancreatitis (mean Po2 7·85±1·42 kPa (s.d.), P<0·01). Vital capacity on admission was decreased by 50 per cent in 41 per cent of patients and by 20 per cent in 77 per cent of patients with pancreatitis. At discharge, 38 per cent of patients still had a 20 per cent decrease in their vital capacity. Fibrinogen levels were elevated in 80 per cent of patients on admission and there was a negative correlation between these levels and the arterial Po2 (r = −0·6, P<0·001). Fibrinogen degradation products were elevated in 45 per cent of patients. The results confirm that marked lung damage occurs in acute pancreatitis and suggest that the effects are prolonged. The possibility that this damage may be related to pulmonary fibrin deposition is discussed.