Plasmapheresis in Acute Hypertriglyceridemia-Induced Pancreatitis-The PHIP-JuGa-Study.

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Critical Care Medicine
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Acute pancreatitis incidence is rising globally.
• Hypertriglyceridemia accounts for approximately 10% of acute pancreatitis cases.
• Plasmapheresis is recommended for severe hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis (HIP), but its efficacy and safety data are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of plasmapheresis in patients with hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis.
• To compare outcomes between patients treated with plasmapheresis and those receiving conservative management.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, multicenter cohort study (January 2012 - December 2022).
• Inclusion of 245 episodes of hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis from 13 German centers.
• Propensity score matching used to create balanced cohorts (60 pairs) for outcome comparison.

Main Results:

• Plasmapheresis did not significantly reduce the composite endpoint of in-hospital mortality and organ failure (8/60 vs. 5/60).
• No significant differences were observed in pancreatitis severity between groups.
• The plasmapheresis group experienced a significantly longer hospital stay (12 days vs. 9 days).

Conclusions:

• Plasmapheresis in hypertriglyceridemia-induced pancreatitis did not demonstrate superior clinical outcomes compared to conservative treatment.
• The procedure showed only moderate triglyceride reduction and was associated with increased hospital stay.
• This costly and potentially complicated treatment warrants cautious consideration outside of clinical trials.