Life-threatening coronavirus has infected more than 2 million populations around the world. The virus with no vaccine is spreading at a rapid rate around the world. Scientists, doctors and researchers are exploring every possible solution for the vaccine.
Till now the Plasma Therapy is the most promising solution of the coronavirus. The first COVID-19 patient 49-year-old-male, treated with plasma therapy showed positive results. The Patient name Saket admitted in the Max Hospital. The patient is now off ventilator support, the hospital said on Monday.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) allowed states to start clinical trials of plasma therapy. Approx 100 institutes are interested to study how safe and efficient plasma therapy is in treating COVID-19. Some states like Kerala, Gujarat and Punjab have already started to use plasma therapy for COVID-19 patients.
According to Dr Deven Juneja, Associate Director at the Institute of Critical Care Medicine, Max Healthcare, “To use plasma therapy, there is specific criterion laid down by the US FDA, which include that the patient should be a confirmed case of COVID-19, the family members and the patient should give consent for this therapy and clinically, the patient should have severe disease or any life-threatening problems. These life-threatening problems may include breathlessness, dropping of oxygen, should need some amount of mechanical ventilator support, at the verge of organ failure, very low BP and low urine output.”
“This therapy has a good potential to help COVID-19 patients who have disease severity which fits into moderate to severe category. One donor can donate 400ml of plasma which can save two lives, as 200ml is sufficient to treat one patient,” informs Dr Budhiraja.
Plasma Therapy
Plasma Therapy seems to be the most promising solution of the coronavirus. It is an experimental procedure for COVID-19 patients.
In the plasma treatment, the plasma is collected from the recovered coronavirus patient and is then transfused into a critical coronavirus patient.
Mechanism of Plasma Therapy
The main goal of the treatment is to boost the immunity of the patient. The idea is to transfer immunity from the healthy person to the COVID-19 positive patient. The plasma therapy uses antibodies from the blood of a recovered coronavirus patient to treat another critical patient. The blood of recovered COVID-19 patient develops antibodies to fight against the virus. The blood when transferred from a healthy person to the infected person, the antibodies present in the blood start fighting with the coronavirus in the body of the infected person.
Plasma donation procedure
The plasma donation procedure is similar to blood donation. It takes about an hour. Plasma donors are pinched with a small device that removes plasma from the blood and returns the red blood cells to the body.
In the normal blood donation, after donation, the patient waits for the red blood cells regain. Plasma can frequently be donated, even twice a week. The plasma drawn from one recovered person can help two people.
Risk associated with Plasma Therapy
No serious side effects have been reported. But there could be a small risk during the transfusion of the blood.
Chances of getting COVID-19 positive again after the plasma therapy
The following reason can bring COVID-19 back to the patient after therapy.
- Catching the infection from someone COVID-19 positive
- Maybe the virus was inactive for a few days and became active again
- False-positive
History of plasma therapy:
- Discovered by German physiologist Emil von Behring
- First used in 1890.
- In 2014, the World Health Organisation (WHO) had recommended plasma therapy for the treatment of Ebola virus disease.
- The plasma therapy also used during the Spanish flu pandemic.
- During the H1N1 infection of 2009, doctors used plasma therapy to treat patients.
Treatment of COVID-19 with Plasma Therapy
The plasma therapy has used by China to treat critical COVID-19 patients. Around two trials performed over 15 coronavirus patients. The patients showed improvement.
Currently, ICMR cannot announce this treatment everywhere because the clinical trials are undergoing.
Across the world including the United Kingdom and the United States have also started the clinical trial of plasma therapy and waiting for the positive results.
