Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) developed in 3 persons in Slovenia who drank raw milk; a fourth person, who had been vaccinated against TBE, remained healthy. TBE virus RNA was detected in serum and milk of the source goat. Persons in TBE-endemic areas should be encouraged to drink only boiled/pasteurized milk and to be vaccinated.

The optimal therapy for hypertriglyceridemic acute pancreatitis, especially the role of plasma exchange (PE), is not entirely clear. The aim of our large, single-center, observational, cohort study was to analyze the factors affecting outcome in hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis treated with PE. We included 111 episodes of hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis treated with PE, which occurred in 103 different patients. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, triglycerides, delay to first PE, and PE treatment details were retrospectively obtained from the patients’ records. The main outcome measures were length of hospitalization and in-hospital mortality. The patients were 47±9 years old and the median APACHE II score at first PE was 4 (inter-quartile range (IQR) 2–7). There was a seasonal variation in the incidence of hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis, and the recurrence rate was 1.6% per year. Triglycerides at presentation did not correlate with APACHE II or influence the outcome. The mean reduction in triglycerides during PE was 59% (from 44±31 to 18±15 mmol/l), which was twice the reduction observed during conservative treatment (27% daily). The median hospital stay was 16 days (IQR 10–24) and in-hospital mortality was 5%. The median delay to first PE was 35 hours (IQR 24–52), and there was no difference in mortality in the early and late PE groups (7% vs. 6%, p = 0.79). The group with citrate anticoagulation during PE had a significantly lower mortality than the group with heparin anticoagulation (1% vs. 11%, p = 0.04), and citrate was an independent predictor also in the multivariate model (p = 0.049). PE effectively reduced serum triglycerides faster than could be expected with conservative treatment. The delay in PE therapy did not influence survival. We found that citrate anticoagulation during PE was associated with reduced mortality, which should be confirmed in a randomized study.

Severe hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is the third most common cause of acute pancreatitis (AP) and is involved in its pathogenesis. Chylomicrons increase blood viscosity and induce ischemia, while free fatty acids induce inflammation and distant organ damage. Conservative treatment options include fasting and insulin; limited evidence shows their comparable efficacy. Plasma exchange might provide more rapid lowering of triglycerides and amelioration of systemic effects of severe AP. Available data from controlled studies show only moderately faster lowering of triglycerides with apheresis (about 70% vs. 50% with conservative treatment within 24 h) and limited data from non-randomized studies show no improvement in clinical outcomes. New evidence is expected soon from ongoing large randomized trials. Until then, insulin may be used in mild HTG-AP and plasma exchange should be considered only in severe HTG-AP, especially if the decline of triglycerides with conservative treatment is slow, and in HTG-AP during pregnancy.

Background and Aims: Both insulin and plasma exchange (PE) are used in hypertriglyceridemic acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP). Our aim was to compare the efficacy of both treatments.Methods: A randomized, parallel group study performed in a tertiary hospital in 22 HTG-AP patients with non-severe prognosis and triglycerides between 15 and 40 mmol/L. Patients were randomized to daily PE or insulin infusion until triglycerides were <10 mmol/L. Primary outcome was % reduction in triglycerides within 24 h. Secondary outcomes were days needed to lower triglycerides <10 mmol/L, highest CRP and percentage of patients with a severe course of pancreatitis.Results: There was a trend toward a greater decrease in triglycerides within the first 24 h in the PE group (67 ± 17% vs. 53 ± 17%, p = 0.07), but the absolute difference was modest [mean difference of 6 mmol/L (14% of initial value)]. Triglycerides fell below 10 mmol/L in a median (IQR) of 1 (1–2) and 2 (1–2) days, respectively (p = 0.25). Secondary outcomes related to disease severity were also comparable: highest CRP 229 vs. 211 mg/L (p = 0.69) and severe course of pancreatitis in 2/11 cases in both groups (p = 1.0). Regarding treatment complications, there was one mild hypoglycemia and one allergic reaction during PE. Survival was 100% in both groups.Conclusion: There was no significant difference, but only a trend toward a greater decrease in triglycerides with PE, and the clinical course was also comparable. These results do not support universal use of PE in patients with HTG-AP.Clinical Trial Registration: [ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT02622854].

Background: The majority of citrate protocols for hemodialysis (HD) use calcium (Ca)-free dialysate, a limited number use dialysate with Ca, aiming to simplify the procedure. This randomized clinical study sought to compare the anticoagulant effect of citrate using Ca-free dialysate and dialysate with Ca 1.25 mmol/L. Methods: Fifty HD procedures (in 5 chronic HD patients treated by chronic citrate anticoagulation) were randomly assigned to Ca-free dialysate (25 procedures) or Ca-1.25 dialysate (25 procedures), both with Mg 0.5 mmol/L, Na 138 mmol/L, and bicarbonate 28 mmol/L. Ca-free HD: 15% Na₃ citrate 80 ml/hour was infused into the arterial line, and 1 M CaCl₂, 14 ml/hour into the venous line. Ca-1.25 group: 15% Na₃ citrate 100 ml/hour, 1 M CaCl2 2–4 ml/hour. Polyflux H dialyzers were used. Antithrombotic effect was assessed visually after HD at 3 points: dialyzer, arterial, and venous bubble traps, using a score of 5 (no clotting) to 1 (total clotting). Results: Ca-free group: arterial bubble trap score 4.7 ± 0.5, dialyzer 4.5 ± 0.6, venous bubble trap 4.8 ± 0.6. Ionized calcium (iCa) at dialyzer inlet 0.34 ± 0.17, outlet 0.21 ± 0.06 mmol/L. All HDs were completed successfully. Ca-1.25 group: arterial bubble trap score 4.7 ± 0.5 (NS), dialyzer 2.6 ± 1.04 (p<0.01), venous bubble trap 2.4 ± 0.9 (p<0.01). Volume of clot in venous bubble trap was 1.9 ± 1.8 mL (range 0.5–6 mL). iCa at dialyzer inlet 0.24 ± 0.05 mmol/L (p<0.05), outlet 0.63 ± 0.11 mmol/L (p<0.01). Four of 25 HD procedures (16%) were prematurely terminated due to threatening dialyzer clotting, in 6/25 HD procedures (24%), the venous line was changed (p<0.01). Conclusion: Citrate anticoagulation with Ca-1.25 dialysate resulted in significantly worse anticoagulation of dialyzer and venous bubble trap compared with Ca-free dialysate, despite higher citrate dose.