The role of plasma exchange in hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis

Impact of therapeutic plasmapheresis on the duration of organ failure in patients with hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND

Plasmapheresis is widely used for severe hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) to remove excessive triglycerides from plasma. This study aimed to evaluate whether plasmapheresis could improve the duration of organ failure in HTG-AP patients.

METHODS

We analyzed a cohort of patients from a multicenter, prospective, long-running registry (the PERFORM) collecting HTG-AP patients admitted to the study sites within 72 h from the onset of symptoms. This study was based on data collected from November 2020 to March 2023. Patients who had organ failure at enrollment were involved in the analyses. The primary outcome was time to organ failure resolution within 14 days. Multivariable Cox regression model was used to evaluate the association between plasmapheresis and time to organ failure resolution. Directed acyclic graph (DAG) was used to identify potential confounders.

RESULTS

A total of 122 HTG-AP patients were included (median [IQR] sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score at enrollment, 3.00 [2.00-4.00]). Among the study patients, 46 underwent plasmapheresis, and 76 received medical treatment. The DAG revealed that baseline serum triglyceride, APACHE II score, respiratory failure, cardiovascular failure, and renal failure were potential confounders. After adjusting for the selected confounders, there was no significant difference in time to organ failure resolution between patients undergoing plasmapheresis and those receiving exclusive medical treatment (HR = 1.07; 95%CI 0.68-1.68; P = 0.777). Moreover, the use of plasmapheresis was associated with higher ICU requirements (97.8% [45/46] vs. 65.8% [50/76]; OR, 19.33; 95%CI 2.20 to 169.81; P = 0.008).

CONCLUSIONS

In HTG-AP patients with early organ failure, plasmapheresis was not associated with accelerated organ failure resolution compared to medical treatment but may be associated with more ICU admissions.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The PERFORM study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2000039541). Registered 30 October 2020.

Therapeutic plasma exchange decreases serum triglyceride level rapidly and reduces early recurrence rate but no advantages in improving outcomes for patients with hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis: a retrospective propensity score matching analysis based on twenty year's experience

BACKGROUND

Hyperlipidaemic acute pancreatitis (HLAP) has become the most common cause of acute pancreatitis (AP) not due to gallstones or alcohol (Mosztbacher et al, Pancreatology 20:608-616, 2020; Yin et al, Pancreas 46:504-509, 2017). Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been reported to be effective in reducing serum TG levels which is important in management of HLAP (World J Clin Cases 9:5794-803, 2021). However, studies on TPE are mostly focusing on cases reports, TPE remains poorly evaluated till date and need to be compared with conservative therapy with a well-designed study.

METHODS

A retrospectively cohort study on HLAP patients between January 2003 and July 2023 was conducted. Factors correlated with efficacy of TPE were included in a propensity model to balance the confounding factors and minimize selection bias. Patients with and without TPE were matched 1:2 based on the propensity score to generate the compared groups. Lipid profiles were detected on admission and consecutive 7 days. The triglyceride (TG) level decline rates, percentage of patients to reach the target TG levels, early recurrence rate, local complications and mortality were compared between groups.

RESULTS

A total of 504 HLAP patients were identified. Since TPE was scarcely performed on patients with TG < 11.3 mmol/L, 152 patients with TG level 5.65 to 11.3 mmol/L were excluded while 352 with TG ≧11.3 mmol/L were enrolled. After excluding 25 cases with incomplete data or pregnancy, 327 patients, of whom 109 treated without TPE while 218 treated with TPE, were included in data analysis. One-to-two propensity-score matching generated 78 pairs, 194 patients with well-balanced baseline characteristics. Of 194 patients enrolled after matching done, 78 were treated without while 116 with TPE. In the matched cohort (n = 194), patients treated with TPE had a higher TG decline rate in 48 h than those without TPE (70.00% vs 54.00%, P = 0.001); the early recurrence rates were 8.96% vs 1.83%, p = 0.055. If only SAP patients were analyzed, the early recurrence rates were 14.81% vs 0.00% (p = 0.026) respectively. For patients with CT severity index (CTSI) rechecked within 14 days, early CTSI improment rate were 40.90% vs 31.91%. Local complications checked 6 months after discharge were 44.12% vs 38.30%. Mortality was 1.28% vs 1.72%. No differences were found in early stage CTSI improment rate (P = .589), local complications (P = .451) or motality between two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

TPE reduces TG levels more quickly in 48 h compared with those with conservative treatment, but no difference in the consecutive days. TPE tends to reduce the early recurrence rate comparing with conventional therapy, but TPE has no advantages in improving CTSI in early stage, and no improvement for outcomes including local complications and mortalty.

Lipid-lowering therapy for hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis: Recent advances

With the improvement of the living standard, hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) has become the second major cause of acute pancreatitis (AP) in China. Hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) has its own unique characteristics. First, the elevation of blood amylase and lipase levels is not significant. Second, the severity of the disease positively correlates with blood triglyceride (TG) level. The goal of treatment of HTG-AP is to lower blood lipids rapidly. Common lipid-lowering methods include dietary modification, lipid-lowering drugs, low-molecular heparin combined with insulin, blood purification, and combined Chinese and Western medicine. This article reviews the recent advances on lipid-lowering approaches used in HTG-AP patients.

Apheresis Technique for Acute Hyperlipidemic Pancreatitis: A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The apheresis technique is increasingly used in patients with hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis (HTGP), while its role in this context is still not well established. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of an apheresis therapy compared to usual care in such a patient population.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library databases up to July 10, 2021. Studies were included if they focused on HTGP treated with or without apheresis technique. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess the quality of the included studies. The primary outcome was the mortality rate. We also explored the heterogeneity, sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, and publication bias.

RESULTS

Sixteen observational studies with 1476 adults were included. The overall quality of included studies was moderate. Despite better TG level reduction with apheresis therapy (mean difference [MD], 12.27 mmol/L, 95% CI, 3.74 to 20.81; I² = 78%; P = 0.005), use of apheresis did not reduce the mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.01; 95% CI, 0.65 to 1.59; P = 0.95) compared with usual care. This result was further confirmed by sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis. The length of stay in hospital (MD, 0.96 days; 95% CI, - 1.22 to 3.14; I² = 70%; P = 0.39) and most complications were similar between the groups, while hospital cost was significantly higher in the apheresis group.

CONCLUSIONS

The apheresis technique did not decrease the mortality in HTGP patients compared with usual care. Until the results of high-quality RCTs are known, these findings do not support the routine use of the apheresis technique in such a patient population.

Plasmapheresis compared with conventional treatment for hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The treatment of acute pancreatitis (AP) induced by hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) remains controversial with regard to plasmapheresis vs conventional treatment. We reviewed relevant articles to explore the efficacy of plasmapheresis in the management of HTG-induced AP.

METHODS

We systematically reviewed studies that compared plasmapheresis with conventional treatment for HTG-induced AP using three databases: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library, as well as relevant references. The primary outcomes were 24 h triglyceride reduction rate and in-hospital mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 791 articles were retrieved. Finally, 15 observational studies (1080 participants) were included, most of which were historical cohort studies. Compared with conventional treatment, plasmapheresis assisted in the reduction of serum triglyceride (TG) levels in the first 24 h after hospital admission (standardized mean difference [SMD]: 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.17 to 0.99; P = 0.005). However, it resulted in increased hospitalization costs (thousand yuan) (weighted mean difference [WMD]: 24.32; 95% CI: 12.96 to 35.68; P < 0.001). With regard to in-hospital mortality, although the mortality rate in the plasmapheresis group was higher than that in the conventional treatment group (relative risk [RR]: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.03 to 2.94; P = 0.038), the result was disturbed by confounding factors as per the subgroup and sensitivity analysis, as well as trial sequential analysis (TSA). No significant differences were found in other outcomes, including systematic complications, local complications, the requirement for surgery, and hospitalization duration.

CONCLUSION

The effect of plasmapheresis in HTG-induced AP is not superior to that of conventional treatment, even resulting in a greater economic burden to patients and health care system. High quality randomized control trials are required to obtain a more a definitive understanding of this issue.

Insulin or blood purification treatment for hypertriglyceridaemia-associated acute pancreatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Hypertriglyceridaemia increases risks from acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) over other aetiologies, but optimal management for HTG-AP remains undefined. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of insulin-based treatment (IT) versus blood purification treatment (BPT) for HTG-AP.

METHODS

Searches were conducted to identify randomised trials and observational studies published between 1946 and 2022 that compared IT and BPT for HTG-AP reporting baseline and post-treatment serum triglyceride (TG) levels with clinical outcomes. The primary outcome was serum TG reduction (Δ-TG) from baseline while secondary outcomes included complications, length of stay, adverse events, and cost.

RESULTS

Fifteen (1 randomised, 2 prospective case-controlled, and 12 retrospective cohort) studies were analysed comprising 909 cases with HTG-AP. Pooled results demonstrated IT was significantly less efficient than BPT in Δ-TG at 24 h (WMD -666.06, 95% CI -1130.18 to -201.94, P = 0.005; 12 studies), at 48 h (WMD -672.60, 95% CI -1233.44 to -111.77; 8 studies), and overall Δ-TG by day 7 (WMD -385.81, 95% CI -711.07 to -60.54; 8 studies) (both P = 0.02). IT, however, was associated with significantly fewer adverse events (OR 0.09, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.27, P < 0.0001; 7 studies) and significantly reduced cost (WMD -2.50, 95% CI -3.61 to -1.39, P < 0.00001; 3 studies). Other secondary outcomes were not significantly different between the two regimens (all P ≥ 0.11). In subgroup analysis Δ-TG at 24 h and overall Δ-TG became insignificant, while other results were unaffected.

CONCLUSION

Our findings support the general use of IT for inpatient management of HTG-AP, restricting BPT to those predicted or found to respond poorly to IT.

Guidelines for the management of patients with severe acute pancreatitis, 2021

OBJECTIVE

To provide guidelines for the management of the intensive care patient with severe acute pancreatitis.

DESIGN

A consensus committee of 22 experts was convened. A formal conflict-of-interest (COI) policy was developed at the beginning of the process and enforced throughout. The entire guideline construction process was conducted independently of any industrial funding (i.e. pharmaceutical, medical devices). The authors were required to follow the rules of the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE®) system to guide assessment of quality of evidence. The potential drawbacks of making strong recommendations in the presence of low-quality evidence were emphasised.

METHODS

The most recent SFAR and SNFGE guidelines on the management of the patient with severe pancreatitis were published in 2001. The literature now is sufficient for an update. The committee studied 14 questions within 3 fields. Each question was formulated in a PICO (Patients Intervention Comparison Outcome) format and the relevant evidence profiles were produced. The literature review and recommendations were made according to the GRADE® methodology.

RESULTS

The experts' synthesis work and their application of the GRADE® method resulted in 24 recommendations. Among the formalised recommendations, 8 have high levels of evidence (GRADE 1+/-) and 12 have moderate levels of evidence (GRADE 2+/-). For 4 recommendations, the GRADE method could not be applied, resulting in expert opinions. Four questions did not find any response in the literature. After one round of scoring, strong agreement was reached for all the recommendations.

CONCLUSIONS

There was strong agreement among experts for 24 recommendations to improve practices for the management of intensive care patients with severe acute pancreatitis.

Blood Purification for Hypertriglyceridemia-Induced Acute Pancreatitis: A Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of our study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of blood purification (BP) therapy in hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for articles published.

RESULTS

The analysis included 13 studies with 934 patients (263 in BP group, 671 in control group). There was no difference in efficacy and safety between the BP group and the control group (all P > 0.05). Compared with conventional treatment, BP had shorter hospital stay (mean difference, -4.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], -8.81 to -1.11; P = 0.01) in the case of similar mortality and complications. Meanwhile, insulin treatment showed similar mortality to BP, but fewer local complications (odds risk, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.13-4.20; P = 0.02) and shorter hospital stay (mean difference, 5.46; 95% CI, 0.64-10.29; P = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

In the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis, BP methods are effective in accelerating triglyceride level reduction and shortening hospital stay but do not affect the efficacy or reduce mortality significantly compared with conventional treatment. Insulin therapy has the same effect as BP but decreases incidence of complications and cost.

Continuous insulin therapy versus apheresis in patients with hypertriglyceridemia-associated pancreatitis

BACKGROUND

The optimal treatment modality for lowering the triglyceride level in patients with hypertriglyceridemia (HTG)-associated acute pancreatitis is unknown. We evaluated the efficacy of continuous insulin infusion and apheresis procedures as triglyceride-lowering therapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Clinical, demographic, and laboratory data were retrospectively evaluated for patients with HTG-associated pancreatitis who received continuous insulin infusion or apheresis in a single tertiary center. The endpoints were modality effectiveness and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

The study included 48 patients (mean age, 40.4 ± 9.9 years). Apheresis and insulin infusion were performed in 19 and 29 patients, respectively, in the first 24 h of hospital admission. Apheresis procedures included therapeutic plasma exchange in 10 patients and double filtration plasmapheresis in nine patients. Baseline mean triglyceride level was higher in the apheresis group. The two groups were similar in terms of other baseline clinical and demographic characteristics. Seventeen patients (58.6%) in the insulin group and nine patients (47.4%) in the apheresis group exhibited Balthazar grades D-E. There was a rapid reduction (78.5%) in triglyceride level after the first session of apheresis. Insulin infusion resulted in a 44.4% reduction in mean triglyceride level in the first 24 h. The durations of fasting and hospital stay, and the rates of respiratory failure and hypotension, were similar between groups. More patients in the apheresis group experienced acute renal failure or altered mental status. Prognosis did not significantly differ between groups.

CONCLUSION

Although apheresis treatments are safe and effective, they provided no clear benefit over insulin infusion for HTG-associated pancreatitis.

Hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis treated with continuous insulin infusion-Case series

OBJECTIVE

There are no definitive treatment guidelines for hypertriglyceridemia (HTG)-induced acute pancreatitis (AP). The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of insulin in decreasing triglyceride (TG) levels in patients with HTG-induced AP.

DESIGN

We included 17 cases of HTG-induced AP treated with continuous insulin aspart for 4 days.

PATIENTS

Fifteen patients were male, two were female. The mean TG level at admission was 56.53 ± 25.29 mmol/L. The mean APACHE II score was 10.2 ± 5.7, Ranson 4.2 ± 1.7 and Balthazar 6.5 ± 2.6, implying a severe form of the disease.

METHODS

In an 8-year period, 17 patients with a diagnosis of HTG-induced AP were treated with a continuous infusion of 5% dextrose and insulin aspart in an attempt to lower TG levels. TG levels were assessed on admission, the second and fourth day of therapy. The patient outcome, complications and recurrence of AP were monitored.

RESULTS

A significant reduction of TG levels was observed in all patients on Day 4. All patients survived, with one forming a giant pseudocyst as a disease complication, one needing haemodialyses treatment due to an acute kidney injury, and one developing acute respiratory distress syndrome that required mechanical ventilation for 4 days. All patients recovered completely.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that continuous insulin aspart infusion decreases TG levels in HTG-induced AP from a mean TG level of 56.53 mmol/L on Day 1 to 21.75 mmol/L on Day 2 and finally to 6.86 mmol/L on Day 4. We consider this therapy very efficient, safe, simple to administer and monitor.

Therapeutic plasma exchange for hyperlipidemic pancreatitis: Current evidence and unmet needs

With changes in lifestyle and diet worldwide, the prevalence of hyperlipidemic acute pancreatitis (HLAP) has greatly increased, and it has become the most common cause of acute pancreatitis not due to gallstones or alcohol. There are many available therapies for HLAP, including oral lipid-lowering agents, intravenous insulin, heparin, and therapeutic plasmapheresis (TPE). It is believed that the risk and severity of HLAP increase with rising levels of serum triglycerides (TG), thus a rapid decrease in serum TG level is the key to the successful management of HLAP. TPE has emerged as an effective modality in rapidly reducing serum TG levels. However, due to its cost and accessibility, TPE remains poorly evaluated until now. Some studies revealed its efficacy in helping to treat and prevent the recurrence, while some studies suggested that TG levels were not correlated with disease severity, mortality, or length of hospital stay. Thus TPE might have no beneficial effect for the outcome. This article gives an overview of the published evidence of TPE in the treatment of HLAP and outlines current evidence regarding individual outcome predictors, adverse effects of the procedure, and TPE in special occasions such as for pregnant patients and patients with diabetic ketoacidosis. Future direction of TPE research for HLAP is also discussed in this review.

Dysregulated SREBP1c/miR-153 signaling induced by hypertriglyceridemia worsens acute pancreatitis and delays tissue repair

Severe acute pancreatitis (AP) is a life-threatening disease with up to 30% mortality. Therefore, prevention of AP aggravation and promotion of pancreatic regeneration are critical during the course and treatment of AP. Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is an established aggravating factor for AP that hinders pancreatic regeneration; however, its exact mechanism remains unclear. Using miRNA sequencing and further verification, we found that miRNA-153 (miR-153) was upregulated in the pancreas of HTG animal models and in the plasma of patients with HTG-AP. Increased miR-153 aggravated HTG-AP and delayed pancreatic repair via targeting TRAF3. Furthermore, miR-153 was transcriptionally suppressed by sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1c (SREBP1c), which was suppressed by lipoprotein lipase malfunction-induced HTG. Overexpressing SREBP1c suppressed miR-153 expression, alleviated the severity of AP, and facilitated tissue regeneration in vivo. Finally, therapeutic administration of insulin also protected against HTG-AP via upregulating SREBP1c. Collectively, our results not only provide evidence that HTG leads to the development of more severe AP and hinders pancreatic regeneration via inducing persistent dysregulation of SREBP1c/miR-153 signaling, but also demonstrate that SREBP1c activators, including insulin, might be used to treat HTG-AP in patients.

Hypertriglyceridemia and massive rhabdomyolysis in a patient with disseminated legionella

Legionella most commonly presents as pneumonia but can have disseminated involvement, presenting as extra-pulmonary disease involving gastrointestinal, neurological, cardiac, renal, and musculoskeletal systems, and skin and soft tissues. We present a case of a patient with pneumonia, rhabdomyolysis, renal failure, hypertriglyceridemia, pancreatitis, and cutaneous involvement. This case highlights the breath of involvement legionella can have, including the never previously documented manifestation of hypertriglyceridemia and severe rhabdomyolysis with the highest creatinine kinase recorded.

Effects of different triglyceride-lowering therapies in patients with hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of various triglyceride (TG)-lowering therapies on hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis (HTGAP). A total of 132 patients with HTGAP were retrospectively divided into an insulin intensive therapy (IIT), a plasma exchange (PE) and a non-intensive insulin therapy (NIIT) group according to the TG-lowering therapies they had received. The clinical and biochemical data of the subjects were analyzed. The baseline data, including sex, age, TG, amylase, severe acute pancreatitis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome were not significantly different among the three groups (P>0.05). The 24-h TG clearance rate (χ²=7.74, P=0.021), onset to treatment time (χ²=14.50, P<0.001) and the time required to reach the target TG level (χ²=6.12, P=0.047) were different in these three groups, but no significant differences were observed between the IIT and NIIT groups (P>0.05). The incidence of therapy-associated complications in the PE group (30.23%) was higher than that in the IIT (2.17%) and NIIT (4.65%) groups. The difference in the incidence of therapy-associated complications was significant among the three groups (P<0.001), but no significant difference was present between the IIT and NIIT groups (P>0.05). In the PE group, the length of stay was increased compared with that in the IIT and NIIT groups (χ²=7.05, P<0.05), while there was no significant difference between the IIT and NIIT groups (P>0.05). The present study suggested that NIIT at presentation had a similar therapeutic efficacy to that of IIT to improve the prognosis of HTGAP, and NIIT and IIT were associated with fewer complications than PE treatment. NIIT may favorably perform in patients presenting early after symptom onset and may be considered for clinical application.