Clear Liquid Diet vs Soft Diet as the Initial Meal in Patients With Mild Acute Pancreatitis: A Randomized Interventional Trial. (13th December 2012) - Rajkumar, Nagarajan
Abstract : Background : Patients recovering from mild acute pancreatitis are usually started on a liquid diet and advanced to a solid diet. Evidence suggests a soft diet as the initial meal is tolerated well by such patients. However, the results are controversial. Objectives : To assess the safety of starting an early soft diet compared with a liquid diet in patients with mild acute pancreatitis as the initial meal. Methods : We randomized 60 patients with mild acute pancreatitis into 2 groups to receive either a clear liquid diet (CLD) or a soft diet (SD) as the initial meal, and parameters such as tolerance to diet, recurrence of pain, length of hospitalization (LOH), need to stop feeding, post‐refeeding length of hospitalization (PRLOH), and postdischarge readmission rate within 30 days were analyzed. Results : The demographic and baseline parameters (amylase, total leucocyte count, Balthazar score) in the 2 groups were comparable. Patients in both groups tolerated the diet well except 1 patient in the SD group, who developed vomiting and diarrhea, not severe enough to stop feeding. LOH and PRLOH were significantly lower in the SD group (4.23 ± 2.08 and 1.96 ± 1.63 days, P < .0001) compared with the CLD group (6.91 ± 2.43 and 4.10 ± 1.64 days, P < .0001). PRLOH in the SD group was 2.14 days less when compared with the CLD group. Conclusion : In patients with mild acute pancreatitis, a soft diet as the initial meal is well tolerated and leads to a shorter total length of hospitalization.