Convalescent Plasma Transfusion for the Treatment of COVID-19—Experience from Poland: A Multicenter Study

Abstract

Because the optimal treatment for COVID-19 is still unknown, it is important to explore every potential way of improving the chances of survival for COVID-19 patients. The aim of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of convalescent plasma on COVID-19 patients. The study population consisted of 78 patients diagnosed with COVID-19, selected from the SARSTer national database, who received convalescent plasma. The impact on clinical and laboratory parameters was assessed. A clinical improvement was observed in 62 (79%) patients, and 10 (13%) patients died from COVID-19. No side effects of the convalescent plasma treatment were observed. When plasma was administered earlier than 7 days from diagnosis, the total hospitalization time was shorter (p < 0.05). Plasma efficacy was inferior to remdesivir in endpoints such as the necessity and duration of oxygen therapy, the duration of hospitalization, and mortality rate, and inferior to other drugs in the case of the duration of hospitalization and the necessity of constant oxygen therapy, but comparable in most other measured endpoints. A comparison of a 30-day mortality rate in patients who received plasma and remdesivir (4/25, 16%) and who received only plasma (6/53, 11%) showed no significant difference. Convalescent plasma efficacy is inferior to remdesivir when treating COVID-19 patients but the addition of remdesivir to plasma does not improve the treatment effectiveness. In most endpoints, plasma was comparable to other treatment options. In our opinion, convalescent plasma may be used as a supportive treatment in COVID-19 patients because of the low frequency of adverse effects and availability, but must be given as early from the diagnosis as possible.

CONVALESCENT plasma for COVID‐19: A meta‐analysis of clinical trials and real‐world evidence

“…A total of 4728 records were identified from databases, websites and citation searching. There were 47 studies 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were used for the systematic review and meta‐analysis (Figure 1 ). Of 47 included studies, 21 were clinical trials 16 , 17 , 18 ,…”

The Three Pillars of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Therapy

“…A matched propensity score study published by Salazar and colleagues found the greatest effect when patients were given CP within 44 h of hospital admission [24]. Thus, thanks to these and other similar studies [25], nowadays we are aware that CP must be administered early, possibly within 72 h from symptom onset [26]. Other RCTs [27,28] did not find clinical benefit from later CP administration.…”

Effectiveness of Tocilizumab with and without Dexamethasone in Patients with Severe COVID-19: A Retrospective Study

“…This scale is based on WHO recommendations modified to fit the specificity of the national health care system as applied previously. 11 , 12 Clinical improvement was defined as at least a 2-point decrease from baseline to 14, 21, and 28 days of hospitalization. The ordinal scale was scored as follows: 1) unhospitalized, no activity restrictions; 2) unhospitalized, no activity restrictions and/or requiring oxygen supplementation at home; 3) hospitalized, does not require oxygen supplementation and does not require medical care; 4) hospitalized, requiring no oxygen supplementation, but requiring medical care; 5) hospitalized, requiring normal oxygen supplementation; 6) hospitalized, on non-invasive ventilation with high-flow oxygen equipment; 7) hospitalized, for invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); and 8) death.…”