PLASMA THERAPY
• What is plasma therapy and how it works?
• Why should we use plasma therapy to treat COVID-19 Patient?
• Is it harmful for me to donate plasma?
. Who can donate plasma and who can’t ?
WHAT IS PLASMA : plasma is a ‘yellowish liquid’ component of blood. In this plasma, our IMMUNE system releases many antibodies that movers around as a Soldier to keep our body-safe. After recovering from COVID-19 Our immune system recognizes the virus and produces a targeted antibody that Neutralises the virus from attacking our body. The antibody binds with the receptors of the virus so they cannot get inside the cell. These antibodies are then transferred to the patient and it helps them recover very early.
PLASMA THERAPY :
Plasma infusion also called passive immunization is a process whereby the sterilize antibodies from a recovered SYMPTOMATIC patient of COVID-19 is transfused in an affected patient. This is to activate the immune system of the affected patient to fight against that virus.
WHO CAN DONATE / CRITERIA :
•You need to have recovered from sars Cov-2.
•You should wait 15 days after the test comes negative.
•Your IgG test is positive (the hospital does that for you). As many patients don’t develop the killer antibodies at all.
•Your antigen titers are nil, because these can aggravate the symptoms.
•Age: 18-55 years
•Weight above 50kg and hb >12.5(females) and >13 (males)
• you are not using steriods medications since last 1 -2 week .
Some people are advised , not to donate plasma:
People with pre-existing diseases.
People above 55 yrs of age
PROCEDURE :
•The whole process takes 1-2 hours.
•Blood is taken from the donor through IV line.
•Processed in a centrifuge machine.
•Desired cells are taken from the blood.
•Rest of the blood is returned to the body.
HOW OFTEN CAN PLASMA BE DONATED and how many lives can be saved by it?
ideally plasma should be donated after 12 weeks of disease. But in our setup we are short of recovered patients so we can take earlier recovered cases.
•Plasma can be donated more often than blood i.e after every 2 weeks and 2 times / week in our setup
•Two infected patients can be saved by one plasma donation!
Approximately 200ml plasma Dose is effective to save one life.
• Antibody titres needs to be done ( ELISA system for anti Corona IGg antibodies )
•Donor will have to get some tests done before he donates ( LFTs ,RFTs ,CBC, Serum electrolytes ,albumin , hepatitis screening, sexually transmitted infections screening etc .)
WAS IT HARMFUL :
No, it is not .
After donating plasma one should drink water in a quite good amount, eat protein and healthy food.
Some people think that if he donates plasma he may again get infected by COVID 19 because there will be a shortage of antibodies. It is a wrong concept. Our immune system automatically fills up the shortage of antibodies as we eat protein because the antibody is nothing just a complex compound of protein.
So we all should come a step front to donate plasma to save the nation