Coronavirus patients in Fort Worth get plasma transfusions from the formerly infected
On Saturday, a 42-year-old critically ill COVID-19 patient who is on a ventilator at Harris Methodist received plasma from a former COVID-19 patient.
He was scheduled to receive a second unit on Monday afternoon, said Dr. John Burk, a pulmonologist in Fort Worth.
Plasma transfusions aren’t a cure — but they could help reduce symptoms of those who are infected, Burk said.
“We will not know the benefit or lack thereof probably for several days and there are many questions that could be asked in terms of did it help or not but it is one of the things that might make a difference and the benefit should far outweigh the risk,” he said on Monday.
Burk said these types of transfusions have historically helped patients who came down with SARS, measles or ebola.
“Patients who have recovered have antibodies and were used in the infected to speed their recovery,” he said. “That’s what we’re doing with COVID-19. We’re following the example of many others who have gone before from China to Italy to New York and San Francisco.”
Tarrant County had recorded 139 cases of COVID-19 as of Monday afternoon. But unlike those in many surrounding counties, its leaders have refused to release the number of patients who are hospitalized or recovering from home. It’s not known how many COVID-19 patients are in hospitals here.
Burk said the 42-year-old man and another patient at Baylor All Saints received the transfusion on Sunday. Both were in critical condition and on ventilators.
Though the exact effects of the treatment aren’t entirely known, Burk said the Federal Drug Administration approved the Carter Blood Bank to start taking plasma donations.
As far as who gets the plasma, Burk said it’s up to the patient’s attending physician. It also depends on the type of plasma they have.
“The blood type has to match up,” he said. “That’s why we need different kinds of donors.”
It’s also up to the hospitals to determine which recovered patients can give plasma, according to Dr. Merlyn Sayers of the Carter Blood Bank.
“The hospitals will do the testing to see if they have a high enough concentration of antibodies,” Sayers said.
Once someone is approved to be a donor, they can give plasma once every 28 days. One donor can help four people, Sayers said.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 12:49 PM.
