In this new paper, published on medXriv https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.20.2010223 the outcomes of thirty-nine hospitalized patients with severe to life-threatening COVID-19 who received convalescent plasma transfusion were compared against a cohort of retrospectively matched controls.

Plasma recipients were selected based on supplemental oxygen needs at the time of enrollment and the time elapsed since the onset of symptoms. Recipients were transfused with convalescent plasma from donors with a SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory disease coronavirus 2) anti-spike antibody titer of ³1:320 dilution.

Matched control patients were retrospectively identified within the electronic health record database. Supplemental oxygen requirements and survival were compared between plasma recipients and controls.

Convalescent plasma recipients were more likely than control patients to remain the same or have improvements in their supplemental oxygen requirements by post-transfusion day 14, with an odds ratio of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.75~0.98; p=0.028). Plasma recipients also demonstrated improved survival, compared to control patients (log-rank test: p=0.039). In a covariates-adjusted Cox model, convalescent plasma transfusion improved survival for non-intubated patients (hazard ratio 0.19 (95% CI: 0.05 ~0.72); p=0.015), but not for intubated patients (1.24 (0.33~4.67); p=0.752).

This non randomised study confirms, as previous anedoctical results, that convalescent plasma transfusion is a potentially efficacious treatment option for non-intubated patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

About the results reported in this paper, Dr. Pier Maria Fornasari, REGENHEALTHSOLUTIONS expert, says “Convalescent plasma is useful when SARS-CoV-2 virus is present in the airways: after this, virus load is low and thus convalescent plasma could be not necessary, but as the clinical conditions are due to severe proteolytic storm human plasma is useful to fight proteolytic activators/inhibitors imbalance. For this effect, Plasma Exchange with liters of FFP are necessary, while in thi study the total plasma infused was 500 ml. We wait for clinical trials results”.