Document Type : Research articles

Authors

• Hassan Abolghasemi ¹
• Abdol Majid Cheraghali ²
• AbbasAli ImaniFooladi ¹
• Peyman Eshghi ³
• Mokhtar Tazik ⁴
• Nariman Sadri ⁴
• Farzaneh BoloukiMoghaddam ⁵
• Mohammad Rezapour ⁵
• sina Imanizadeh ⁵
• Matin Maeini Maleki ⁵
• Mohammad Hosein Ranjkesh ⁵
• Hoshyar Maghsoudi ⁵
• Mahtab Maghsoodlu ⁶
• NasimSadat HosseiniDivkolaye ⁷
• Ramezan Jafari ⁸
• Behzad Einollahi ⁹
• Mohamad Nikpouraghdam ⁹
• Zahra Soleimani ⁹
• Ali Bahramifar ¹⁰
• Hassan Goodarzi ¹⁰
• Nematollah JoneidiJafari ¹¹
• Mojtaba Sepandi ¹¹
• Ali Ghazvini ¹²
• Seyed Mohammad Javad Hoseini ¹
• Mohammad Hadi Radfar ¹³

¹ Applied Microbiology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences

² Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences

³ Pediatric Congenital Hematologic Disorders Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences

⁴ Darman Ara PJS Company

⁵ Student Research Committee, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences

⁶ Iranian Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Education and Research in Transfusion Medicine

⁷ International Affairs Department, Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization

⁸ Department of Radiology, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences and Chemical Injuries Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences

⁹ Nephrology and Urology Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences

¹⁰ Trauma Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences

¹¹ Health Research Center, Life Style Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences

¹² Chemical Injuries Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences

¹³ Urology and Nephrology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences; Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background: Convalescent plasma (CP) transfusion is one of the suggested treatments for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) especially in critically ill patients.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of CP transfusion were investigated in severe/critically ill COVID-19 patients.
Methods: This study was performed on 50 consecutive COVID-19 patients with severe/critically ill disease. Severe disease was defined as having at least one of the following symptoms: shortness of breath, respiratory frequency ? 20/min, blood oxygen saturation ? 93%, partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio < 300, lung infiltrates > 50% within the last 24-48 h. Critically ill disease was identified by intensive care unit admission, respiratory failure, septic shock, or multiple organ dysfunction or failure. Primary outcomes included the safety of CP transfusion, 14-day and 30-day survival rate, and change in lung computed tomography (CT) scan score. Several other clinical and laboratory features were evaluated as the secondary outcomes.
Results: Based on the results, 21 out of 50 consecutive patients were on mechanical ventilation at the time of CP transfusion. In total, 32 patients (64%) survived 30 days after CP transfusion. The survival rates were 74% and 44% in patients who received CP < 7 and ? 7 days after admission, respectively. While 92% of patients without mechanical ventilation survived, the survival rate of patients on mechanical ventilation was 29%. Moreover, the CT scan score and some other clinical features were improved in the group that received CP transfusion, and no adverse effects were observed.
Conclusion: The CP transfusion is a safe and effective treatment in severe/critically ill COVID-19 patients. The best outcome can be achieved in patients who are not on mechanical ventilation, especially early in the disease course.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• English