Eficacia y seguridad de la administración de plasma de convaleciente en pacientes con COVID-19

Abstract

IntroductionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, several strategies were suggested for the management of the disease, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments such as convalescent plasma (CP). The use of CP was suggested due to the beneficial results shown in treating other viral diseases. ObjectiveTo determine the efficacy and safety of CP obtained from whole blood in patients with COVID-19. MethodsPilot clinical trial in patients with COVID-19 from a general hospital. The subjects were separated into three groups that received the transfusion of 400ml of CP (n=23) or 400ml of standard plasma (SP) (n=19) and a non-transfused group (NT) (n=37). Patients also received the standard available medical treatment for COVID-19. Subjects were followed up daily from admission to day 21. ResultsThe CP did not improve the survival curve in moderate and severe variants of COVID-19, nor did it reduce the degree of severity of the disease evaluated with the COVID-19 WHO and SOFA clinical progression scale. No patient had a severe post-transfusion reaction to CP. ConclusionsTreatment with CP does not reduce the mortality of patients even when its administration has a high degree of safety.