December 5, 2020
Background: Despite limited high-quality evidence, many institutions are currently using convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) in the treatment of COVID-19. The majority of the evidence for CPT comes from observational studies lacking placebo arms (
US Expanded Access Program). Convalescent plasma therapy isn’t a novel treatment modality and has been used in the treatment of other infectious diseases (SARS, MERS, H1N1, Ebola, etc…) with mixed results. The theory behind CPT is it can supplement the patient’s immune response by administering plasma rich in antibodies from someone previously infected who has recovered. Thus far the US Expanded Access Program, showed that giving convalescent plasma earlier (i.e. ≤3 days) and with higher titers (>18.45 S/Co) was associated with improved mortality in COVID-19 (This data cannot show causality as there was no randomization and no control arm) [3].
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Medical Categories:
Infectious Disease