Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2025
Author Spotlight: Deciphering Coagulation Disorders in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients
Published on: August 4, 2023
Factors associated with mortality among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 disease treated with convalescent plasma
Armando M Perichon1, Andrea Acosta2, Liliana Di Tulio2
1Centro Único de Donación, Ablación e Implante de Órganos, Ministerio de Salud, Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina.
Insights
Early convalescent plasma (CP) treatment for severe COVID-19 may reduce mortality. This therapy is a potentially safe, cost-effective option, especially where antivirals are unavailable.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Convalescent plasma (CP) is explored as a COVID-19 treatment, particularly in resource-limited settings.
- Current FDA guidelines restrict CP use to specific immunocompromised patient groups with confirmed high antibody levels.
- While many trials show limited benefit in hospitalized patients, early administration may be effective.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of early CP administration on mortality in severe COVID-19 patients.
- To assess the safety and cost-effectiveness of CP as a therapeutic option.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study design.
- Analysis of patient data comparing early (within 3 days of hospitalization) versus late CP treatment.
- Assessment of 28-day mortality rates.
Main Results:
- Early CP treatment (within 3 days of hospitalization) was significantly associated with reduced 28-day mortality.
- CP demonstrated to be a relatively safe and inexpensive therapeutic option.
- Results support CP's potential efficacy in specific severe SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.
Conclusions:
- Early administration of convalescent plasma may improve outcomes for severe COVID-19 patients.
- Convalescent plasma represents a viable, cost-effective treatment option, especially in areas lacking antiviral drugs.
- Further evidence supports the use of CP in managing severe SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Importance:
The use of convalescent plasma (CP) could be an option for patients with severe COVID-19, especially in poor-resource countries where direct antiviral drugs are not commercially available. Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration limits the CP administration for outpatients and inpatients with COVID-19 who are immunocompromised and only if high levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are confirmed in the CP unit. Although most of the randomized clinical trials failed to show a clear-cut benefit of CP in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19, other studies have shown that if given early in the course of the disease, it might be a useful therapeutic option. In this retrospective study, we demonstrated that early treatment (within 3 days of hospitalization) was significantly associated with reduced 28-day mortality compared with those patients treated beyond day 3. The results from our study add up to the scientific evidence on the use of CP as a relatively safe, cheap, and possibly effective therapy in certain patients suffering from severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Pneumonia IV: Management
Bacterial Pneumonia Treatment
For bacterial pneumonia, antibiotics serve as the cornerstone of therapy. Initial treatment often begins with empirical antibiotics, tailored to the anticipated causative organism and adjusted based on culture results. Key antibiotic choices include:
01:30Pneumonia III: Complications and Assessment
01:29Pulmonary Embolism II: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care