New Delhi: The Directorate general of health services (DGHS) has said convalescent plasma can be considered for treatment of moderate Covid patients who are not improving (oxygen requirement is progressively increasing) despite use of steroids.
Convalescent plasma therapy is allowed as an investigational therapy for use in Covid-19 patients. The clinical management protocol prescribed by the government recommends convalescent plasma by plasmapheresis as in Covid-19 patients with a few safeguards.
The Health Ministry last week released guidelines on clinical management protocol: COVID-19 where certain therapies were indicated for use as investigational therapies, in which convalescent plasma by plasmapheresis has been indicated as ‘Off Label’ in Covid-19 patients.
According to the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, special prerequisites while considering convalescent plasma include — ABO compatibility and cross-matching of the donor plasma; recipient should be closely monitored for several hours post transfusion for any transfusion-related adverse events and use should be avoided in patients with IgA deficiency or immunoglobulin allergy.