Comparative Evaluation of the BISAP Score with CT Severity Index in Predicting the Severity of Acute Pancreatitis

Early diagnosis of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is important for the successful management of patients. Most scoring systems are complex or involve multiple parameters, which makes it difficult to ascertain the severity of acute pancreatitis at an early stage. Our study aims to evaluate the bedside index for severity in acute pancreatitis (BISAP) in predicting the severity of pancreatitis and mortality in a rural population, where financial constraints pose a major problem during treatment. We studied 55 patients of acute pancreatitis who presented to our institution between October 2014 and August 2016. The BISAP score was calculated within 24 h of admission. During the hospital stay, the CT severity index (CTSI) was calculated, and patients closely monitored to detect presence of organ failure or mortality. The accuracy of the BISAP and CTSI scores in predicting severity and mortality was determined by plotting receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and calculating the area under curve (AUC). Sixteen (29%) patients developed persistent organ failure and were classified as severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), and four (7%) died. No patient with a BISAP score of 0 or 1 developed severe pancreatitis. The area under curve (AUC) for BISAP score in predicting severity and mortality was 0.902 and 0.958, respectively, better than that of CTSI. BISAP scores of 0 or 1 have a very high negative predictive value, and hence accurate for predicting mild disease. These patients can safely avoid a CT scan and the costs associated with it.