Use of the APACHE II score to assess impact of therapeutic plasma exchange for critically ill patients with hypertriglyceride-induced pancreatitis

Objectives Hypertriglyceridemic (HTG) pancreatitis carries significant morbidity and mortality and often requires intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) rapidly lowers serum triglyceride (TG) levels. However, evidence supporting TPE for HTG pancreatitis is lacking. Methods Ten patients admitted to the ICU for HTG pancreatitis underwent TPE at our institution from 2005–2015. We retrospectively calculated the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Examination II (APACHE II) score at the time of initial TPE and again after the final TPE session to assess the impact of triglyceride apheresis on morbidity and mortality associated with HTG pancreatitis. Results All 10 patients had rapid reduction in TG level after TPE, but only 5 had improvement in their APACHE II score. The median APACHE II score decreased from 19% to 17% after TPE, correlating with an 8% and 9% decrease in median predicted non-operative and post-operative mortality, respectively. The APACHE II score did not differ statistically before and after TPE implementation in our patient group (p = 0.39). Conclusion TPE is a clinically useful tool to rapidly lower TG levels, but its impact on mortality of HTG pancreatitis as assessed by the APACHE II score remains uncertain.