Interrelations between lipoprotein and the elimination of exogenous triglycerides from the circulation in intensive...

The interrelations between the fractional turnover rate (k2) of exogenous triglycerides from the circulation and the serum lipoproteins have been studied in 34 intensive care patients who were classified into two groups depending on the severity of the clinical condition. Group I included 13 patients in relatively good clinical condition after elective surgery and Group II consisted of 21 critically ill patients. The k2 values were increased in Group I while Group II patients had K2 values similar to healthy male controls. Low concentrations of total serum TG, VLDL-TG and total serum cholesterol were found in Group I and LDL-TG was raised more than threefold and HDL cholesterol decreased by over 50 percent in Group II. In both groups the cholesterol/TG ratio in VLDL was higher than that of the controls. The negative correlations between K2, total serum TG and VLDL-TG in controls were also found in Group I. In contrast to the control group a positive correlation between K2 and the cholesterol/TG ratio in VLDL was found in Group I, whereas the only correlations found in Group II were between K2 and the concentration of both total serum cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. There was no correlation with HDL lipids in any of the groups. Qualitative changes in the lipoprotein composition and altered characteristics in the tissues which remove Intralipid particles from the circulation may be responsible for many of the changes observed.