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.