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World J Gastroenterol. Jun 14, 2008; 14(22): 3574-3578
Published online Jun 14, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.3574
Treatment of abdominal compartment syndrome in severe acute pancreatitis patients with traditional Chinese medicine
Min-Jie Zhang, Guo-Lei Zhang, Wen-Bin Yuan, Jun Ni, Li-Feng Huang
Min-Jie Zhang, Guo-Lei Zhang, Wen-Bin Yuan, Jun Ni, Department of General surgery, Affiliated Central Hospital of Huzhou Normal College, Huzhou 313000, Zhejiang Province, China
Li-Feng Huang, Research Center of Biomedicine and Health, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang MJ and Zhang GL contributed equally to this work; Zhang MJ, Zhang GL, Yuan WB, and Ni J designed the research; Zhang MJ, Yuan WB, and Ni J performed the research; Huang LF provided the new reagents/analytic tools; Zhang MJ, Yuan WB, and Ni J analyzed the data; Zhang MJ, Yuan WB, and Huang LF wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Min-Jie Zhang, Department of General surgery, Affiliated Central Hospital of Huzhou Normal College, Huzhou 313000, Zhejiang Province, China. zmjys@yahoo.com.cn
Telephone: +86-572-2369815
Fax: +86-572-2369815
Received: January 21, 2008
Revised: May 8, 2008
Accepted: May 15, 2008
Published online: June 14, 2008
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese traditional medicines Da Cheng Qi Decoction (Timely-Purging and Yin-Preserving Decoction) and Glauber’s salt combined with conservative measures on abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) patients.

METHODS: Eighty consecutive SAP patients, admitted for routine non-operative conservative treatment, were randomly divided into study group and control group (40 patients in each group). Patients in the study group received Da Cheng Qi Decoction enema for 2 h and external use of Glauber’s salt, once a day for 7 d. Patients in the control group received normal saline (NS) enema. Routine non-operative conservative treatments included non-per os nutrition (NPON), gastrointestinal decompression, life support, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), continuous peripancreatic vascular pharmaceutical infusion and drug therapy. Intra-cystic pressure (ICP) of the two groups was measured during treatment. The effectiveness and outcomes of treatment were observed and APACHE II scores were applied in analysis.

RESULTS: On days 4 and 5 of treatment, the ICP was lower in the study group than in the control group (P < 0.05). On days 3-5 of treatment, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) scores for the study and control groups were significantly different (P < 0.05). Both the effectiveness and outcome of the treatment with Da Cheng Qi Decoction on abdominalgia, burbulence relief time, ascites quantity, cyst formation rate and hospitalization time were quite different between the two groups (P < 0.05). The mortality rate for the two groups had no significant difference.

CONCLUSION: Da Cheng Qi Decoction enema and external use of Glauber’s salt combined with routine non-operative conservative treatment can decrease the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) of SAP patients and have preventive and therapeutic effects on abdominal compartment syndrome of SAP.

Keywords: Da Cheng Qi Decoction; Glauber’s salt; Traditional Chinese medicine; Severe acute pancreatitis; Abdominal compartment syndrome