Multiple organ failure complicating a severe acute necrotising pancreatitis secondary of a severe hypertriglyceridemia: A case report

We report the case of a 42-year-old man admitted for a multi-organ failure with a coma, a hemodynamic instability, a respiratory distress syndrome, an acute renal failure and a thrombocytopenia. The blood samples highlighted a milky serum and allowed to diagnose an acute pancreatitis associated with a major dyslipidemia: hypertriglyceridemia 11,800 mg/dL and hypercholesterolemia 1195 mg/dL. The CT-scans do not reveal any cerebral abnormalities but highlighted pancreatic lesions without biliary obstruction. A multi-organ failure complicating a severe acute pancreatitis secondary of a major hypertriglyceridemia was mentioned. Despite the absence of clear guidelines, a session of plasma exchange was started in emergency. Symptomatic treatment with protective ventilation, vasopressors, continuous heparin and insulin was continued. The clinical and biological course was good in parallel of the normalization of lipid abnormalities. The patient was discharged at day 17 with a lipid-lowering therapy. We discuss the various treatments available for the management of acute pancreatitis complicating a severe hypertriglyceridemia and their actual relevance in the absence of clear recommendations. (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS on behalf of the Societe francaise d'anesthesie et de reanimation (Sfar).