[Dyslipidemia in the critically ill patient]

Dyslipidemia seen in the critically ill patient is a common disturbance, poorly recognized by physicians in this setting. Shock states, sepsis, multifactorial systemic inflammatory response syndrome and ischemia-reperfusion injury are associated with important metabolic changes that contribute to this disturbance. As a result, the lipid concentration, including cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins and apo-lipoprotein A-I, diminishes. Previous reports correlate the disturbance in lipids with a higher risk of infection, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, multiple organic dysfunction syndrome, and raised mortality. The use of reconstituted high-density lipoprotein may be a therapeutic alternative for the management of this entity.