Eculizumab refractory thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura secondary to post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis in a patient

DIA-Based Proteomic Analysis of Plasma Protein Profiles in Patients with Severe Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a pancreatic inflammatory disease that varies greatly in course and severity. To further the understanding of the pathology of AP, we carried out data-independent acquisition-based proteomic analyses using proteins extracted from the plasma of patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) (experimental group) and healthy volunteers (control group). Compared to the control group, there were 35 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the plasma of patients with SAP. Of those, the expression levels for 6 proteins were significantly increased, and 29 proteins were significantly decreased. Moreover, six candidate biomarkers—VWF, ORM2, CD5L, CAT, IGLV3-10, and LTF—were matched as candidate biomarkers of the disease severity of AP. The area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.903 (95% CI: 0.839, 0.967) indicated that this combination of these six candidate biomarkers had a good prediction accuracy for predicting the severity of AP. Our study provides specific DEPs that may be useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of SAP, which suggests new theoretical bases for the occurrence and development of SAP and offers potential novel treatment strategies for SAP.

A case of acute pancreatitis-induced microangiopathic hemolytic anemia with thrombocytopenia

Microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia (MAHA-T) is a rare complication of acute pancreatitis (AP). Treatment with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is used at many centers. The natural history of this disease is not well understood. We report a case of acute pancreatitis induced MAHA-T with end organ dysfunction and a normal ADAMTS13 level. Following three TPEs, the patient's clinical status, blood counts and hemolytic markers stabilized. Improvement occurred even after TPE was discontinued. The optimal management of AP-induced MAHA-T is poorly understood. Many centres are reporting good outcomes with the early initiation of TPE. MAHA-T associated with acute pancreatitis is often treated with early initiation of TPE. However, the value of TPE in altering the natural history of the condition is not well understood. Further study is required to understand the role of ADAMTS13 testing to guide treatment, and the role of TPE in management.