Comparative efficacy of therapeutic plasma exchange and insulin in hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis

Hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) presents a therapeutic challenge with no currently definitive treatment, including therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) and insulin. TPE aims to quickly reduce serum triglyceride (TG); however, its efficacy lacks convincing evidence. Intravenous insulin is a promising and convenient alternative, while comparative data is limited.

This retrospective, single-center study compared TPE and insulin treatment in HTG-AP patients. The primary outcome measured was the percentage of TG reduction within 48 hours of admission.

The study included 33 TPE-treated and 56 insulin-treated patients. The TPE groups were more severe than those with medical therapy at baseline characteristics. A trend towards higher TG reduction within 24 hours was observed in the TPE group (62.5% [IQR 51.7-83.3] vs. 55.7% [IQR 34.2-74.7], p = 0.038). However, no significant difference in TG reduction at 48 hours was found between insulin and TPE groups (83.6% and 81.9%, respectively, p = 0.715). The TPE group exhibited extended hospital stays (10.0 [IQR 7.0-13.5] days vs. 6.0 [4.0-8.7] days, p = 0.001) without any difference in in-hospital mortality or time needed to lower TG below < 11.3 mmol/L.

In patients with HTG-AP, TPE decreased plasma triglyceride levels faster in the first 24 hours than insulin therapy. However, there was no significant advantage after 48 hours. Therefore, insulin may be a promising alternative and convenient treatment in carefully selected patients with HTG-AP.