However several observational studies have identified the use of glucocorticoids as a factor associated with increased risk of VAP and other Hospital-acquired infections. References
Further reading


== External links ==
It is scored through the mnemonic, PANCREAS:

P - PaO2 <8kPa
A - Age >55-years-old
N - Neutrophilia: WCC >15x10(9)/L
C - Calcium <2 mmol/L
R - Renal function: Urea >16 mmol/L
E - Enzymes: LDH >600iu/L; AST >200iu/L
A - Albumin <32g/L (serum)
S - Sugar: blood glucose >10 mmol/L

BISAP score
Predicts mortality risk in pancreatitis with fewer variables than Ransons criteria. Data should be taken from the first 24 hours of the patients evaluation. BUN >25 mg/dL (8.9 mmol/L)
Abnormal mental status with a Glasgow coma score <15
Evidence of SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome)
Patient age >60 years old
Imaging study reveals pleural effusionPatients with a score of zero had a mortality of less than one percent, whereas patients with a score of five had a mortality rate of 22 percent. In the validation cohort, the BISAP score had similar test performance characteristics for predicting mortality as the APACHE II score. As is a problem with many of the other scoring systems, the BISAP has not been validated for predicting outcomes such as length of hospital stay, need for ICU care, or need for intervention. Epidemiology
In the United States, the annual incidence is 18 cases of acute pancreatitis per 100,000 population, and it accounts for 220,000 hospitalizations in the US. In a European cross-sectional study, incidence of acute pancreatitis increased from 12.4 to 15.9 per 100,000 annually from 1985 to 1995; however, mortality remained stable as a result of better outcomes.