What is convalescent plasma and why do you care about it?

The medical procedures doctors have used to treat new diseases for a century have emerged as the focus of the fight against Covid-19. Plasma in the recovery phase.

Conva-what-now …?

Convalescent plasma is the term used for plasma that is taken from the blood of people who have recovered from the disease and is subsequently transfused into patients with combative illness.

Yes, it sounds a bit confusing. Let’s analyze everything you need to know about convalescent plasma and why it matters now.

First of all, what is plasma?

Let’s start with a small biology lesson. I promise it will be fun.

Plasma is the liquid part of blood. It is a pale yellow and consists of approximately 91% to 92% water. It accounts for about 55% of blood, and the remaining 45% are red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. (Platelets help clots.)

This is why we are talking about it right now: when your body is exposed to an exogenous pathogen, your body’s reaction is to produce antibodies. According to Dr. Jeffrey Jean, medical director of the clinical laboratory and transfusion services of Mount Sinai Health System in New York, it’s from invading the cells of the body.

These antibodies-your inland army that work to defeat foreign invaders-are contained in the plasma. And when you recover, or Conquered From a particular virus, those antibodies stay in the plasma for a period of time and are ready to fight the virus if it comes back. The length of time varies, and each virus requires its own antibody. For example, the SARS antibody cannot stop MERS.

But this is the problem. Your soldiers may fight for others. Doctors can extract convalescent plasma from the recovered patient and transfuse it to the patient who will fight the recovered patient. This means that your antibody may help your own immune system in the fight against disease by accelerating the time it takes to develop your own antibody army.

However, before getting too excited, it’s important to note that antibody soldiers are not really known to us when it comes to Covid-19. it can Fight for others. See below for details.

Wait, it’s crazy. Did this work before?

Yes! Physicians have used convalescent plasma transfusions to help combat disease in patients dating back to the 1918 Spanish flu. Recently, this procedure has been used in patients with SARS, Ebola, H1N1 and others.

The name of this therapy is Passive immunity. If you develop your own antibody using a vaccine, it is active immunity. But when it “borrows” them from others via convalescent plasma, it is passive. It is used when no other treatment option is available. Research suggested It can help improve the condition of patients still suffering from various diseases including H1N1 and SARS.

“Convalescent plasma has historically been used for treatment and prophylaxis.” — As a prophylaxis- “when new illnesses, viruses, bacteria usually emerge and there is no virus-specific cure for the new or new illness. Dr. Elling Hugh, executive medical director of the American Red Cross, said.

Of particular note when treating Covid-19 with convalescent plasma is that the treatment has not been as widely used as it is currently proposed, says Goodhue. This means, for the first time, that the medical and scientific community will be able to carry out rigorous studies of the type of procedure itself in order to better judge its effectiveness. This type of study has not been possible with previous treatments.

It is also used to treat burns, trauma, and cancer patients — Plasma Explainer Those from the New York Blood Center call this “fluid money.”

So … does it work for Covid-19?

Do you remember telling me not to get too excited?

When a person recovers from Covid-19, as he learned from a previous biology lesson, his or her blood, more specifically his or her plasma — Contains antibodies that can fight the virus. Since this coronavirus is new, no one has been exposed to it until the outbreak, so our bodies still do not contain the antibodies needed to fight it.

The medical community is competing to determine if convalescent plasma will still help people fighting Covid-19. But it’s too early to know decisively if it works. The Food and Drug Administration just announced an initiative to collect convalescent plasma about a month ago. According to experts, some hospitals had a slight jump about it, but it can take months before a final answer is available.

“I’ve heard about cases of improvement for some patients, but there’s no strict nature of what can be shared,” Dr. Jhang said.

Dr. Goodhue reiterated Dr. Chang’s caution in reaching his conclusions, but said he had encouraging signs.

“I’m still hearing positive anecdotal evidence,” said Dr. Goodhue. “But for balancing purposes, unfortunately there were some cases where it seemed to be completely ineffective for the patient.”

Nevertheless, the more donated plasma in convalescence, the greater the opportunity to study its effectiveness. As of Wednesday, approximately 35,000 people contacted Mount Sinai in New York to see if they were candidates. About 6,000 antibodies were screened. And more than 1,000 high antibody producers have been identified. According to a spokeswoman, Mount Sinai has provided and counted plasma for more than 150 people.

According to a spokesman, the Red Cross “will distribute hundreds of convalescent plasma products and expects to collect and process hundreds more this week.” We are soliciting donations at more than 170 locations nationwide, and we are seeking more donations. Thousands of potential donors have contacted the organization, but less than 10% meet the F.D.A. eligibility requirements for donations.

Is it difficult to make a donation? Is it safe?

That’s easy. No, yes. If you’re okay with sticking a needle, yes.

This process takes between one and a half hours and two and a half hours. This is a bit like a regular blood donation, but there are major differences, especially in the screening process where donors are asked about their medical history.

In a typical blood donation, a phlebotomist pricks a vein into an arm. The needle is connected to a hose and the hose is connected to a bag. Your heart works here, pumping your blood into the bag. The usual donation amount is about 1 pint.

But donating plasma is like a closed-loop system.

It begins as a normal blood donation, where a phlebotomist inserts a needle into the vein of the arm. However, instead of pumping blood into the bag, the blood is drawn into a machine with a centrifuge, separating plasma from the blood. Plasma is collected in a separate bag, and the blood that is drawn is returned to the body with saline through a needle already in the arm. This process is repeated several times until the proper amount of plasma has been collected. The side effects are almost always similar to normal blood donation. So you may feel a little distracted or dizzy, but in most cases it is. (Your body will replenish lost plasma in 1-2 days.)

One donation will yield 2-4 units of plasma, each of which will be transfused to a sick patient. What happens to the plasma after donation depends on where it is donated, but tests are done to identify infectious diseases. Rules per F.D.A.. Ultimately, it will be used to treat Covid-19 patients.

Recovered from Covid-19. How can I make a donation?

To qualify, a donor must pass normal blood donation requirements, be free of Covid-19 symptoms for at least 14 days, and in most cases have a positive test result. (Other restrictions may apply depending on the organization.)

I had the symptoms of Covid-19 and recovered, but not tested. Can you donate?

Unfortunately, perhaps not. F.D.A. eligibility criteria include a positive Covid-19 diagnosis and asymptomatic at least 28 days before blood donation. Or at least 14 days without symptoms And Negative Covid-19 test.