COVID-19 patient gets Canada’s first plasma transfusion
Procedure done as part of large clinical study
The first transfusion of plasma to a COVID-19 patient in Canada happened Thursday at Ste-justine Hospital, Presse Canadienne has learned.
The procedure was done as part of a large clinical study on the use of convalescent plasma from recovered patients in the fight against the virus, including about 50 centres in Canada and 15 in Quebec.
“It was someone very sick,” explained Dr. Philippe Bégin, one of the leads of the study. “The patient had a two-thirds chance of being in the plasma group and one-third in the normal treatment group, and was randomized to the plasma group.”
Plasma is the part of blood that contains antibodies that protect against the disease.
The study started about six weeks ago, during which researchers did work that normally takes years. Even then, the study is being done according to standards, without cutting corners, Bégin said.
“Having the impression of progress, that there are results and that we’re making a difference is very stimulating for the entire team,” he said.
An American study of about 5,000 patients showed this week that convalescent plasma transfusion is safe, but we do not yet know what impact it will have on patient recovery.
“Some people have raised a theoretical doubt that the antibodies can worsen the inflammatory reaction and that could be dangerous,” Bégin said, adding that there has not been any sign of this.
“The conclusion (of the American researchers) is that we have to start randomized controlled trials now, and the largest controlled randomized study in the world — it’s here that it’s being done.”
The study is being funded in part by the Fondation CHU Sainte-justine and its donors.