A Retrospective Study on the Effects of Convalescent Plasma Therapy in 24 Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19 Pneumonia in February and March 2020 at 2 Centers in Wuhan, China

Abstract

BACKGROUND This retrospective study aimed to describe the effects of convalescent plasma therapy in 24 patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during February and March 2020 in Wuhan, China. MATERIAL AND METHODS The confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection was made by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data and laboratory test reports of patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia who received a convalescent plasma transfusion. RESULTS A total of 24 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who were transfused with ABO-compatible convalescent plasma were enrolled in the study. Convalescent plasma transfusion showed an effective clinical outcome in 14 of 24 patients (an effective rate of 58.3%). No patients had an adverse reaction to the transfusion. Compared with before convalescent plasma transfusion, the lymphocyte count after convalescent plasma transfusion increased to a normal level (median: 0.80×10⁹/L vs. 1.12×10⁹/L, P=0.004). Other laboratory indicators such as white blood cells, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate transaminase showed a decreasing trend after transfusion. CONCLUSIONS This retrospective observational clinical study showed that convalescent plasma therapy could have beneficial effects on patient outcomes. Recently, regulatory authorization has been given for the use of convalescent plasma therapy, and clinical guidelines have been developed for the collection and use of convalescent plasma and hyperimmune immunoglobulin in patients with COVID-19.

Figure 1

The dynamic changes in the laboratory results in the days following treatment with convalescent plasma transfusion (x-axis) in a 77-year-old female patient with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. (A) Changes in the lymphocyte count during 32 days following convalescent plasma transfusion; (B) Changes in the procalcitonin (PCT) levels during the 28 days following convalescent plasma transfusion; (C) Changes in the D-dimer levels during the 32 days following convalescent plasma transfusion; (D) Changes in the serum aminotransferase (ALT) levels during the 32 days following convalescent plasma transfusion; (E) Changes in the serum aspartate transaminase (AST) levels during the 32 days following convalescent plasma transfusion; (F) Changes in the creatinine levels during the 32 days following convalescent plasma transfusion; (G) Changes in the urea levels during the 32 days following convalescent plasma transfusion.