2021 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 150-157
A 33-year-old male presented with upper abdominal pain that persisted after the previous night's meal. He was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis by laboratory data and abdominal dynamic computed tomography scan. On admission, the serum triglyceride (TG) level was markedly elevated (6225mg/dl), suggesting acute pancreatitis with hypertriglyceridemia, which prompted transfer to our hospital for intensive care. He was treated with continuous regional arterial infusion for 5 days, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis was performed on the day of transfer. After one session of LDL apheresis, the TG level decreased to 479mg/dl with improvements in the patient's clinical symptoms and serologic findings. On the 21st day of hospitalization, he was discharged without complications. LDL apheresis is preferred for patients with hypertriglyceridemia because of its safety and selectivity for lipids. In this report, decreasing the TG level via LDL apheresis in addition to standard procedures was effective in the treatment of a patient with acute pancreatitis with hypertriglyceridemia.
