In vitro fertilization‑induced extreme hypertriglyceridemia with secondary acute pancreatitis in emergency department: A case report and literature review

Nguyen Huu Thanh; Trinh Van Duong; Nguyen Thu Huyen; Pham Dang Hai

doi:10.4103/tjem.tjem_27_24

Nguyen Huu Thanh¹, Trinh Van Duong¹, Nguyen Thu Huyen², Pham Dang Hai²

¹College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity, Ha Noi, Vietnam
²Medical Intensive Care Unit, 108 Military Central Hospital, Ha Noi, Vietnam

Keywords: Acute pancreatitis, estrogen, hypertriglyceride, in vitro fertilization

Abstract

Acute pancreatitis is one of the severe complications of hypertriglyceridemia, which needs to be recognized early to provide appropriate treatment. Hypertriglyceridemia induced pancreatitis has several causes, in which in vitro fertilization (IVF) is a rare etiology that is becoming increasingly popular. We report a 33 year old female patient with a history of hypertension who has failed an IVF cycle and started a new IVF procedure 1 month before admission. She was diagnosed with severe triglyceridemia induced acute pancreatitis with extremely high serum triglycerides (TGs) levels (18,547 mg/dL). We combined plasmapheresis and intravenous (IV) insulin and significantly reduced blood TG over a short time. She was discharged with a TG level of 366.7 mg/dL on the 10^th day. It is essential to monitor serum TG levels in plasma before, during, and after this therapy, especially in the 1^st month after initiating IVF. Although plasmapheresis combined with IV insulin is not officially recommended for acute triglyceridemia induced pancreatitis, the therapy can be considered in cases with extremely high serum TG levels.

How to cite this article: Thanh NH, Duong TV, Huyen NT, Hai PD. In vitro fertilization-induced extreme hypertriglyceridemia with secondary acute pancreatitis in emergency department: A case report and literature review. Turk J Emerg Med 2024;24:255-8.