MULTIPLE SPURIOUS LABORATORY RESULTS IN A PATIENT WITH HYPERLIPEMIC PANCREATITIS TREATED BY PLASMAPHERESIS

Hyperlipidemia is a known cause for acute pancreatitis. Hyperlipidemia may also produce multiple spurious laboratory results that may compli cate the diagnosis and management of pancreatitis. We encountered such a patient who had the following spurious laboratory results: normal s erum amylase activity, hyponatremia, and high hemoglobin levels. These laboratory artifacts were previously described, mostly separately. In addition, our patient had artifactual thrombocytopenia. The patient i mproved dramatically following plasmapheresis, which enhanced reductio n of serum lipids.