Glucagon therapy in acute pancreatitis

Thirty patients with acute pancreatitis (10 classified as severe) were treated with glucagon at an initial dose of 1 mg. intravenously followed by 1-1-5 mg. every 4 hours. Glucagon therapy was associated with the relief of pain and clinical improvement in all the patients including 2 subjects who eventually died. In all but 1 of the patients the plasma amylase fell during glucagon infusion. Two patients died, giving a mortality-rate of 7 per cent compared with 22 per cent and 26 per cent of most published series in Britain.