Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and status of unplanned return to the ICU for patients with acute pancreatitis in general wards,and analyze risk factors to provide a theoretical basis for preventing ICU readmissions. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 298 patients primarily diagnosed with acute pancreatitis,transferred from the ICU to general wards between January 1,2020,and February 1,2024,from 170 wards in four campuses of a tertiary hospital in Zhejiang Province. The unplanned ICU return rate was calculated,and patient demographics and disease-related information were collected. According to the occurrence of unplanned return to the ICU,the patients were divided into the return to the ICU group and the non-return to the ICU group. Univariate and logistic regression analyses were employed to identify risk factors for unplanned readmissions. Results Among the 298 patients,47 experienced returns to ICU,resulting in a rate of 15.8%. Binary logistic regression showed that age(OR=1.039),number of comorbidities(OR=1.244),and presence of respiratory failure(OR=3.283) were independent risk factors for unplanned ICU return in acute pancreatitis patients. Conclusion The rate of unplanned return to ICU among acute pancreatitis patients was relatively high in this group of patients. Clinicians should pay special attention to patients with advanced age, complex comorbidities and heart failure,thereby preventing return to ICU.