Selective Removal of Triglyceride‐Rich Lipoproteins by Plasmapheresis in Diabetic Patients with Severe Hypertriglyceridemia

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Abstract
Two diabetic patients with marked intractable hypertriglyceridemia under treatment with hemodialysis for chronic renal failure were treated by either an apolipoprotein B-dependent removal of lipoproteins using dextran sulfate cellulose column plasmapheresis or a size-dependent removal of lipoproteins using hollow-fiber filtration plasmapheresis. In one patient, a column packed with hollow fibers was used as plasma separator and a dextran sulfate cellulose column as an adsorbent. In another patient, because the hollow-fiber column did not separate plasma from whole blood, a centrifuge-type blood cell separator was used for the plasma separation. The amounts of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, and phospholipids removed by plasmapheresis were 30%, 33% and 30%, respectively, when the combination of a hollow-fiber column and a dextran sulfate cellulose column was used. Corresponding values were 31%, 29%, and 27%, respectively, when the combination of the centrifuge-type blood cell separator and the hollow-fiber column was used. The efficiency of lipid removal was almost the same with both techniques. As for plasma separation, the centrifuge-type blood cell separator was more efficient than the hollow-fiber column. Some losses of albumin and platelets were observed when combination plasmapheresis using the centrifuge-type blood cell separator and the hollow-fiber column was performed. In conclusion, we prefer the centrigue-type blood cell separator to the hollow-fiber column for plasma separation of marked hypertriglyceridemia. The second filter must be chosen for each patient according to the size of the lipoproteins.