HYDERABAD: As more number of citizens, who have recovered from Covid-19, come forward to donate their blood, Gandhi Hospital has started treating its first recipient through plasma therapy. Speaking to Express, a senior doctor said, “Yes, one male patient has been put on the plasma therapy treatment and he is doing well currently.
Over four persons have donated blood till now, and one person is receiving treatment.” The first batch of blood donation for plasma therapy was conducted in Gandhi Hospital on May 11. Dr Raja Rao, Superintendent of Gandhi Hospital said, “It is a time consuming process, as it is not a normal blood donation procedure. It takes close to two-and-a-half hours, as the plasma has to be separated from the blood, which is why we can only perform the procedure on three to four persons daily.” Akhil, one of the earliest recovered patients, was the first person to donate his blood.
He further explained, “The recipients will be identified and decided by ICMR. This is a research-cum-treatment procedure. Hence, ICMR will divide the patients into two groups - control and experimental group. One group will be given the plasma therapy and the other will be given normal symptomatic treatment that is being provided currently, to understand the results in comparison to the current treatment.”