Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : June 19, 2020 8:26 PM IST
Plasma therapy involves transfusion of plasma from a convalescent coronavirus patient to a critical patient.
Delhi's health minister, who was tested COVID-19 positive has been shifted to ICU following a deterioration in his condition. Satyendar Jain's CT scan report showed that the pneumonia patches on his lungs have increased. He is slated to be administered plasma therapy for in the hospital. Jain was tested twice this week after he developed symptoms of COVID-19, including high fever and breathing difficulty. He tested positive the second time on Wednesday. Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi Marlena has also tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently in quarantine in her house. This came amid a sudden spurt in cases in the national capital. In Delhi, the cases are inching towards the 50,000-mark and over 1,969 people have succumbed to the disease.
But what exactly is plasma therapy, which has proven to be effective against the deadly virus? Here, we explain the intricacies of this treatment procedure.
Plasma therapy involves transfusion of plasma from a convalescent coronavirus patient to a critical patient. The blood of a convalescent patient contains is rich in antibodies that are expected to help the critical patient recover. Earlier, the centre had called it an experimental procedure and said there was "no concrete evidence to support plasma therapy as coronavirus treatment." However, there have been many reports of COVID-19 patients getting cured after undergoing this treatment.
Plasma is the liquid part of the blood that contains antibodies produced by immune cells to fight off pathogens. After any infection, a person develops antibodies against the pathogen that caused the infection. In plasma therapy, doctors isolate a recovered patient's plasma and deliver it intravenously to people suffering from the same condition.
However, according to a study, there is a catch in this treatment procedure. Plasma therapy may work only when obtained from recently recovered COVID-19 patients. Researchers say that antibody-laden plasma from recovered patients to treat severely-ill patients may only work if the donor has recently recovered from the infection. The study, published in the journal Viruses, tested a number of potential COVID-19 treatments in a cell culture used to grow SARS-CoV-2. Blood plasma from recovered patients were added to the cell cultures to test how effectively the antibodies in the plasma neutralised the virus.
Researchers saw that the more recent the recovery from COVID-19, the more effective the blood serum was. The samples that were collected two months after a patient was diagnosed, did not have enough antibodies to combat the virus in the cell culture. Researchers suggest that clinicians need to collect plasma for treatment purposes as soon as patients recover because the antibodies decline with time.
If you have recently recovered from COVID-19 infection, you may donate your plasma. However, your blood will have to be sufficiently rich in antibodies against the infection. You will also have to recover completely before you can donate and be asymptomatic for at least 28 days before donating. According to guidelines, one person can donate 400ml of plasma. This can save two lives.
(With inputs from Agencies)
