Pancreatic lesions in shock and their significance

Abstract

The pancreas was examined histologically in 146 cases of patients dying of shock. The finding of morphological evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in the pancreas supports the opinion that the pancreas is highly sensitive to disturbances of blood perfusion. The presence of DIC combined with a variety of pathological lesions in the exocrine and endocrine pancreas was sufficiently characteristic to justify use of the term “shock pancreatitis”. The relative scarcity of data hitherto available on pathological changes in the pancreas caused by shock can be ascribed to changes in the management of shock. It is concluded that the pancreatic lesions described in this study could influence the outcome in shock treated by modern methods of resuscitation.