The role of double filtration plasmapheresis in hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis: A propensity score matching analysis.

INTRODUCTION The role of double filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) in hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis (HTGP) is still not well established. Our study aimed to investigate the efficacy of DFPP in reducing triglyceride levels as well as their effects on the outcomes of HTGP. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively evaluated the data of patients with HTGP presenting within 72 hours from symptom onset between January 2016 and February 2019. Patients with DFPP treatment were compared with those without DFPP treatment. We used a propensity score matching analysis to reduce confounding factors. RESULTS Of the 249 patients enrolled, 88 (35.3%) were treated with DFPP. The DFPP was initiated at a median of 7.7 hours from the time of presentation. In the propensity score-matched cohort (n = 100), patients with DFPP had a significantly lower level of triglyceride (P = .034), higher triglyceride reduction (P = .005), and the proportion of triglyceride  .999). CONCLUSIONS HTGP patients with early initiation of DFPP were associated with rapidly and efficiently reduction of triglyceride levels compared with those without DFPP. However, DFPP showed no beneficial effects on improving the clinical outcomes of HTGP.