Convalescent plasma transfusion of COVID-19 patients: Proposal from the Peruvian Immunology Society and the Peruvian Medical Association of Clinical Pathology for its implementation in our country

Abstract

Currently, there is no available vaccine or specific medication against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The treatment is fundamentally based on supportive measures. In recent weeks, in various parts of the world, including our country, there have been flexibilities for the scientific community to conduct clinical trials with potentially useful therapies, such as the case of convalescent plasma transfusion (CPT) of patients with COVID-19. A MEDLINE search of studies on convalescent plasma and COVID-19, SARS or MERS was performed. Studies on the clinical efficacy of this treatment in diseases caused by other coronaviruses (SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV) showed clinical improvement, increased neutralizing antibodies, decreased mortality and the absence of adverse events during and after treatment. In the case of COVID-19, 6 studies were found of the use of this treatment in patients with severe COVID-19 (in mechanical ventilation and with acute respiratory distress syndrome). Although there are limitations in the methodology, number of patients and protocols for the analysis of convalescent plasma from donors, the patients who received CPT showed clinical improvement, improvement in ventilatory patterns, resolution of lung lesions, decreased mortality, improvement in laboratory parameters, increased neutralizing antibodies, decreased viral load and absence of adverse events. We also present a protocol for carrying out TPC and proposals for its implementation and use in our country.