Review Article
Investigational Role of Convalescent Plasma in the Management of COVID-19 Disease in Inpatient & Outpatient Settings
FIA Danish1*, AE Rabani2, FER Subhani3, S Yasmin4 and SS Koul5
1Yeovil District Hospital, Higher Kingston, UK
2HBS Medical and Dental College, Community Medicine, Pakistan
3The Rotunda Hospital, Paediatrics, Dublin, Ireland
4Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Surgery, Islamabad, Pakistan
5Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Intensive Care Medicine, Pakistan
FIA Danish, Yeovil District Hospital, Higher Kingston, Yeovil Somerset, UK.
Received Date:November 23, 2022; Published Date:December 06, 2022
Abstract
Introduction:Historically, both convalescent plasma & hyperimmune globulin have been tried & tested in multiple viral outbreaks in order to
confer passive immunity. These products are obtained from previously infected subjects who have fully recovered and are opined to have generated
optimal immune response (polyclonal antibodies to the causative pathogen at sufficient titre and biologic activity) to confer passive immunity in the
recipient. Neutralizing antibodies are the main active component of such products. In this article practical aspects of obtaining and administering
convalescent plasma and evidence-base for its use in the management of COVID-19 disease in inpatient & outpatient settings is presented.
Method:A comprehensive search of PubMed & EMBASE from March 2020 to July 2022 was made using 3 search items: COVID-19, convalescent
plasma, and hyperimmune globulin. The search items were combined using the Boolean operator. Societal guidelines reviewed at the time of writing
this article include: US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB), American Society
of Hematology (ASH), International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in
the United Kingdom.
Results: Administering COVID-19 convalescent plasma can confer immediate passive immunity that may help shorten the duration of the
COVID-19 disease &/or diminish its severity thus preventing life-threatening complications. Besides FDA issued EUA of considering convalescent
plasma therapy in immunocompromised individuals with severe COVID disease, other investigational indications for convalescent plasma therapy
include a) individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 who have not yet become ill (i.e. post-exposure prophylaxis), and b) individuals who are at high-risk
of exposure or high-risk of severe disease if exposed (i.e. pre-exposure prophylaxis). Convalescent plasma has recently been successfully tried in the
outpatient setting to help reduce disease severity and the incidence of hospitalizations.
Conclusion: Convalescent plasma therapy remains an investigational approach to treating severe COVID disease both in inpatient and outpatient
settings. Whereas more data is needed to establish its indications, safety, and relative efficacy in novel COVID-19 variant infection cases, its use
in immunocompromised individuals with severe COVID disease remains a valid therapeutic consideration.
Keywords:COVID-19; Convalescent plasma; Hyperimmune globulin
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FIA Danish*, AE Rabani, FER Subhani, S Yasmin and SS Koul. Investigational Role of Convalescent Plasma in the Management of COVID-19 Disease in Inpatient & Outpatient Settings. On J Cardio Res & Rep. 7(1): 2022. OJCRR.MS.ID.000651.