Pancreatitis is a classic Surgery Shelf topic because the exam loves the presentation, the diagnosis criteria, and the management steps. In this episode, Chris and Mars break down acute versus chronic pancreatitis, the major causes like gallstones, alcohol, and hypertriglyceridemia, and the key diagnostic rule of needing two of three criteria for acute pancreatitis.

They also cover the high-yield treatment plan, including aggressive Lactated Ringer resuscitation, pain control, when to feed patients, when ERCP is actually indicated in gallstone pancreatitis, and the complications you cannot miss, like necrotizing pancreatitis, pseudocysts, organ failure, steatorrhea, and pancreatogenic diabetes.