Hyderabad treats another COVID-19 patient with plasma therapy
Photo: Children Hospital Karachi
After a successful first experiment, a second COVID-19 patient in Hyderabad was treated using plasma therapy.
The patient is a 64-year-old woman. She is recovering at Civil Hospital, Hyderabad. Her blood pressure and heart rate are being monitored.
The hospital administration said the first patient who received plasma therapy a week ago has recovered and returned home on Saturday.
He was an elderly man from Sanghar. The experiment was conducted after the man’s family volunteered on his behalf. He was in critical condition earlier and was having trouble breathing after which he was put on a ventilator.
Civil Hospital MS Dr Shahid Junejo had said the patient did well after being administered the therapy. His blood pressure and heart rate had returned to normal.
Plasma therapy, or passive immunisation, is an experimental therapy that treats COVID-19 patients using plasma donated from those who once had the illness but then recovered from it. Plasma is collected from their blood samples and then transfused to those who have tested positive for the virus. Experts believe the plasma has antibodies that can help fight the virus.
On April 30, the Sindh government allowed three hospitals to conduct clinical trials for the experimental use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma for passive immunisation.
