Project Grant R01HL183399

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute awarded Mayo Clinic $1,562,026 on September 1, 2026, under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) to conduct a mechanistic and causal inference analysis of propofol-associated hypertriglyceridemia (P-HTG).

The research will establish a prospective observational cohort with systematic triglyceride monitoring and comprehensive lipoprotein phenotyping to define P-HTG epidemiology, distinguish clearance-defect from production-excess mechanisms, and determine causal pathways linking propofol exposure to adverse outcomes. The work will develop a dynamic risk stratification system incorporating baseline triglycerides and time-varying features such as cumulative propofol exposure and evolving clinical status to achieve clinically actionable predictive performance. These three synergistic specific aims will transform P-HTG from an inconsistently monitored laboratory value to a well-characterized clinical syndrome with evidence-based approaches to prediction, monitoring, and management. P-HTG, defined as triglycerides exceeding 400 mg/dL, affects over 150,000 critically ill patients annually receiving first-line propofol sedation during mechanical ventilation and is associated with 49 percent increased mortality risk and 36 percent increased venous thromboembolism rates.

The period of performance runs from September 1, 2026, through April 30, 2031. Work is performed in Rochester, Minnesota.