How plasma therapy helped this COVID-19 patient fully recover

New Delhi, Apr 27: The first patient to be administered convalescent plasma therapy has fully recovered and has been discharged with a promising prognosis.

The 49-year-old patient from Delhi had tested positive for coronavirus on April 4. He was admitted with moderate symptoms and a history of respiratory issues at the East Wing of the Max Hospital. His condition had deteriorated, following which he required external oxygen to maintain saturation.

When he showed no signs of improvement, the family requested the hospital for administration of plasma therapy on compassionate grounds.

The family came forward to arrange a donor for extracting plasma. The donor had recovered from the infection weeks before her donation. The 49-year-old patient was administered fresh plasma as a treatment modality as a side-line standard treatment protocol on April 14. After receiving the treatment, the patient showed progressive improvement and by the 4th day was taken off ventilator support.

The team of doctors comprised Dr Omender Singh, Dr Deven Juneja and Dr Sangeeta Pathak. The team also included junior doctors, nurses, GDAs and lab technicians. The patient would be home quarantined for another two weeks as per the guidelines of the Government.

Doctors say that a single donor can donate up to 400 ml of plasma and this can save two lives. 200 ml is sufficient to treat one patient.