170 patients undergo plasma therapy in Dubai
TREATMENT HAS BEEN GAINING GROUND GLOBALLY SINCE FEBRUARY
The Infectious Diseases Department at Rashid Hospital, Dubai, has carried out Convalescent Plasma Therapy (CPT) on 170 eligible Covid-19 patients with no complications, a top doctor told Gulf News.
Dr Dujana Mustafa Hamad, Consultant Physician at Rashid Hospital’s Infectious Disease Unit and Member of the DHA’s Covid-19 Research Committee, said, “To date, we have successfully transfused plasma with no transfusion-related complication to more than 170 eligible patients with moderate to severe Covid-19 infections and we have observed significant clinical improvement matching the international success rates with this form of therapy.”
In the absence of a vaccine or medicine that can cure Covid-19, CPT has been gaining ground globally since February. It has been historically used in times of major pandemics such as the Spanish Flu and has shown good results previously as well.
The Dubai Health Authority has set up a dedicated plasma clinic at the Rashid Hospital four times a week where blood plasma of recovered patients is collected.
What is CPT?
According to the Mayo Clinic US, which has successfully treated patients with CPT, recovered patients carry several antibodies in their blood plasma. These are basically proteins that the body uses to fight off infections. The blood from people who have recovered is called convalescent plasma. Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood which is transfused in critical patients to combat Covid-19 and it has proven to be successful in many cases.
Dr Mai Raouf, Director of the Dubai Blood Donation Centre, said, “CPT is one of the treatment methods being used to support the management of patients diagnosed with Covid-19. It has antibodies against coronavirus and other immune factors that can support and boost the immune system of the patient to help fight against Coronavirus.”
Elaborating on the rationale behind using CPT, Dr Hamad said that success with plasma therapy in previous illnesses from coronavirus family has been encouraging.
The Dubai Health Authority has set up a dedicated plasma clinic at the Rashid Hospital where blood plasma of recovered patients is collected.