Severe, Complicated Pancreatitis With an Unclear Etiology

Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory process. There can be many causes of pancreatitis, which include alcohol or gallstones but can also be due to hypercalcemia, infections, or hypertriglyceridemia. Most cases of pancreatitis are mild and without complications. Severe cases of pancreatitis can cause complications, including organ failure. Pseudocysts are a rare complication of pancreatitis and may require management. We present a patient with severe acute pancreatitis with organ failure admitted to the intensive care unit, stabilized, and required subsequent management of a pseudocyst with cystogastrostomy with a lumen-apposing metal stent. The patient subsequently improved and is doing well today. Herein, we present an acute severe pancreatitis case report with an extensive workup complicated by pseudocyst development. We review pancreatitis causes, including rare causes and management.