Acute hyperlipidemic pancreatitis in a pregnant woman

BACKGROUND:Acute pancreatitis is a serious complication during pregnancy,however the incidence of hyperlipidemia induced by pancreatitis is lower.METHODS:We treated a pregnant woman with hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute gestational pancreatitis who simultaneously developed hypoxemic acute respiratory failure(ARF).RESULTS:The woman was successfully treated through noninvasive positive pressure ventilation(NPPV),emergent caesarean delivery,drainage of chylous ascites,and peritoneal lavage.CONCLUSION:The signs and symptoms of ARF were greatly improved in this patient after NPPV and conventional therapies.Early NPPV may be related to good prognosis of the disease.