Therapeutic Plasma Exchange and Conservative Treatment Comparison in Patients with Hypertriglyceridemia-induced Acute Pancreatitis

Objective: Hypertriglyceridemia is the third most common cause of acute pancreatitis. Immediate triglyceride level lowering is beneficial in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia [triglyceride (TG) >1,000 mg/dL]. This study aimed to compare the severity of acute pancreatitis, in-hospital mortality, and local and systemic complications, as well as hospitalization duration between patients with hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis treated with conservative treatment only and with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) in addition to conservative treatment. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 patients diagnosed with hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis treated with TPE in addition to conservative treatment (group 1) or conservative treatment only (group 2) participated in the study. Results: Group 1 consisted of 38 patients (9 females and 29 males) and group 2 had 82 patients (29 females and 53 males). No difference was found between the two groups regarding patient characteristics. The TG levels in group 1 decreased by 56.8% in one treatment session. The rate of patients with moderately severe acute pancreatitis + severe acute pancreatitis in group 1 was 36.8%, whereas 59.8% in group 2 (p=0.029). The local complication rate was 34.2% and 57.3% in group 1 and group 2, respectively (p=0.031). No significant difference was found between the groups regarding organ failure, systemic complication, hospitalization duration, and in-hospital mortality rates. Conclusion: Our study revealed that TPE treatment is effective in reducing local complications (especially pancreatic pseudocyst).