What is it about?

There are two ways of determining how much fluid should be given in people with acute pancreatitis. Currently, the amount of fluid given is calculated using the patient’s pulse rate, blood pressure, and urine produced (standard care). In goal directed fluid therapy (GDFT), the amount is calculated by a machine measuring oxygen in the blood and blood pumped by the heart. GDFT is usually used in intensive care units, not wards, because special tubes need to be inserted into neck veins. GDFT has been show to improve recovery after operations in the intensive care unit setting. Portable machines that don’t require these tubes are available but are expensive and require specially trained medical staff. However, it is not clear whether ward-based GDFT improves or decreases recovery after acute pancreatitis. This trial will look at the possibility of giving fluids using calculations based on the readings from the portable GDFT machine for the first 48 hours to patients admitted with acute pancreatitis. After 48 hours we will provide standard fluid therapy based on usual measures. This study looks at the practicality and safety of using GDFT on wards to treat acute pancreatitis and will help design a larger trial to investigate which method of calculating the fluid amount is better in people with acute pancreatitis.

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This page is a summary of: Ward-based Goal-Directed Fluid Therapy (GDFT) in Acute Pancreatitis (GAP) trial: study protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial, BMJ Open, October 2019, BMJ,
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-028783.
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