Incidence and clinical characteristics of hypertriglyceridemic acute pancreatitis:A retrospective single-center study

BACKGROUND The incidence of hypertriglyceridemic acute pancreatitis(HTG-AP)has increased yearly,but updated population-based estimates on the incidence of HTG-AP are lacking.Reducing serum triglyceride(TG)levels quickly is crucial in the early treatment of HTG-AP.Decreased serum TG levels are treated by non-invasive methods,which include anti-lipidemic agents,heparin,low-molecular weight heparin,and insulin,and invasive methods,such as blood purification including hemoperfusion(HP),plasmapheresis,and continuous renal replacement therapy.However,authoritative guidelines have not been established.Early selection of appropriate treatment is important and beneficial in controlling the development of HTG-AP.AIM To evaluate the effect between patients treated with intravenous insulin(INS)and HP to guide clinical treatment.METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 371 patients with HTG-AP enrolled in the Department of Fujian Provincial Hospital form April 2012 to March 2021.The inpatient medical and radiologic records were reviewed to determine clinical features,severity,complications,mortality,recurrence rate,and treatment.Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to analyze risk factors for severe HTG-AP.Propensity score matching was used to compare the clinical outcomes of INS and HP.RESULTS A total of 371 patients met the HTG-AP criteria.The incidence of HTG-AP was increased by approximately 2.6 times during the 10 years(8.4%in April 2012-March 2013 and 22.3%in April 2020-March 2021).The highest incidence rate of acute pancreatitis was observed for men in the age group of 30-39 years.The amylase level was elevated in 80.1%of patients but was only three times the normal value in 46.9%of patients.The frequency of severe acute pancreatitis(26.9%),organ failure(31.5%),rate of recurrence(32.9%),and mortality(3.0%)of HTG-AP was high.Improved Marshall score,modified computed tomography severity index score,baseline TG,baseline amylase,C-reactive protein(CRP),albumin,aspartate aminotransferase,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,urea nitrogen,creatinine,calcium,hemoglobin,free triiodothyronine,admission to intensive care unit,and mortality were significantly different between patients with different grades of severity(P<0.050).Multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that high CRP[P=0.005,odds ratio(OR)=1.011,95%CI:1.003-1.019],low calcium(P=0.003,OR=0.016,95%CI:0.001-0.239),and low albumin(P=0.023,OR=0.821,95%CI:0.693-0.973)were risk factors of severe HTG-AP.After propensity score matching adjusted by sex,age,severity of HTG-AP,and baseline TG,the serum TG significantly decreased in patients treated with INS(P<0.000)and HP(P<0.000)within 48 h.However,the clearance rate of TG(57.24±33.70%vs 56.38±33.61%,P=0.927)and length of stay(13.04±7.92 d vs 12.35±6.40 d,P=0.730)did not differ between the two groups.CONCLUSION The incidence of HTG-AP exhibited a significant increase,remarkable severity,and recurrent trend.Patients with mild and moderately severe acute pancreatitis can be treated effectively with INS safely and effectively without HP.

Close Correlation between Development of MODS during the Initial 72h of Hospitalization and Hospital Mortality in Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome

An emerging infectious disease was identified as severe fever with thrombocytopenia syn- drome （SFTS） in central China since late March 2009. We found the patients with SFTS had severe clinical symptoms, and progressed rapidly to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome （MODS） with high fatality rate of 25%-30%. The aim of this study was to assess the significance of risk factors predicting the development of MODS and death in SFTS patients. Consecutive SFTS admissions between May 2009 and September 2011 were analyzed for parameters of organ function during hospitalization using Marshall scoring system for MODS, and platelet counts were recorded on admission and at 24, 48, 72 h and one week after admission. We investigated the kinetics of organ failures and analyzed the associa- tion between age, platelet count and development of MODS or death. A total of 92 SFTS patients were enrolled in this study. Among them, 32 patients with dysfunction of over 4 organs were identified, 45% of them died within 72 h, 72% died within 5 days, and 76% died within 7 days after admission. We also found cumulative Marshall score was significantly higher in death patients （11.76＋2.05） than in survival patients （4.22~1.98） （P〈0.001）. In addition, SFTS patients had older age and lower platelet counts in MODS and death groups. Furthermore, we also observed that there was a close correlation between platelet count on admission and Marshall score （P〈0.001）. High Marshall score, advanced age and lower platelet counts were the main risk factors for the development of MODS, and those factors could predict mortality in SFTS patients, suggesting prompt treatment and close monitoring of severe complications, especially MODS, are of great importance in saving patients＇ lives.

The WHO near miss criteria are appropriate for admission of critically ill pregnant women to intensive care units in China

Background Evaluation of the severity of the pregnant women with suitable admission to the Intensive Care Unit （ICU） is very important for obstetricians. By now there are no criteria for critically ill obstetric patients admitted to the ICU. In this article, we investigated the admission criteria of critically ill patients admitted to the ICU in order to provide a referral basis of reasonable use of the ICU. Methods A retrospective analysis of critically ill pregnant women admitted to the ICU in Perking University Third Hospital in China in the last 6 years （from January 2006 to December 2011） was performed, using acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II （APACHE-II）, Marshall and WHO near miss criteria to assess the severity of illness of patients. Results There were 101 critically ill pregnant patients admitted to the ICU. Among them, 25.7% women were complicated with internal or surgical diseases, and 23.8% women were patients of postpartum hemorrhage and 23.8% women were patients of pregnancy-induced hypertension. Sixty-nine cases （68.3%） were administrated with adjunct respiration with a respirator. Sixteen cases （15.8%） required 1-2 types of vasoactive drugs. Fifty-five cases （54.5%） required a hemodynamic monitoring. Seventy-three cases （72.3%） had multiple organ dysfunctions （MODS）. The average duration in ICU was （7.5＋3.0） days. A total of 12.9%, 23.8% and 74.3% of women were diagnosed as critically ill according to the APACHE-II, Marshall and WHO near miss criteria, respectively. The rate was significantly different according to the three criteria （P〈0.01）. Conclusions The WHO near miss criteria can correctly reflect the severity of illness of pregnant women, and the WHO near miss criteria are appropriate for admission of critically ill pregnant women to ICU in China.