Which of the following is NOT a benefit of EN over PN in severe acute pancreatitis?

• A. Decreased mortality
• B. Decreased hospital LOS
• C. Decreased infection rate
• D. Increased pain

Answer: (D)

Early enteral nutrition helps preserve gut integrity and modulate the inflammatory response in severe acute pancreatitis. By delivering nutrients directly to the gut, EN reduces bacterial translocation and infectious complications, which in turn lowers mortality and often shortens hospital length of stay compared with parenteral nutrition. Pain management in pancreatitis is driven by the disease process and analgesia, not by the route of feeding, so there isn’t a direct pain benefit from EN. The option describing increased pain is therefore not a benefit of EN over PN, while the other outcomes (lower mortality, shorter LOS, and fewer infections) are established advantages of EN.