HYDERABAD: Convalescent plasma therapy has emerged as the top treatment choice of the hour with high recovery rates and low bills. Doctors from Super Speciality Hospital’s Association said that they have noticed a 75 per cent recovery rate with plasma therapy in critical cases. They also said that their hospitals would send technicians to homes of possible plasma donors to check eligibility, so that recovered donors do not have to risk coming to the hospital multiple times. In addition to this, the association has also listed out basic rules and regulations so that people can identify whether they are eligible to be a donor or not.
Director of Medical Education Dr Ramesh Reddy, during a press conference on Tuesday, said the State government was outsourcing employees for the making of a plasma bank for government hospitals. “Important drugs are not freely available in the market. Remidesivir and Tocilizum are not available for hospitals and the market. Plasma therapy, if given on time i.e., when moderate symptoms appear, is very effective. The cost is also low, anywhere between Rs 15,000 to 20,000, in comparison to medicines costing around Rs 1 lakh - Rs 2 lakh,” said Dr Bollineni Bhaskar Rao, president of TSSHA. Dr Sarath Chandra Mouli, Rheumatologist, said, “The Covid-19 pathology has changed.
It is a cytokine storm which is the cause of high morbidity mortality. In rheumatology, as in autoimmune conditions also, we deal with cytokine storms and macrophage activation syndrome. Plasma therapy is a very old therapy. Since the 1950s, it has been used during various pandemics such as bird flu and swine flu, SARS and MERS(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). So far we have treated 15 people with plasma therapy, in the late stages. Even then, the recovery rate is 75 per cent.”
Answering some frequently asked questions about how much to be donated, how frequently, and when is the right time, Dr Mouli said, “Roughly around 28 days from recovery should be when you donate the plasma, but two negative reports are must. The person has to be over the age of 18, a certain weight, no other common infections, no major illnesses. Around 400-800 ml can be donated, but standard is 400-500 ml. On the same day we can convert into plasma and the remaining blood will go to the donor’s body. If all tests are normal and compatibility is checked, on the same day we can give it to the recipient.”