COVID: using convalescent serum to treat patients
An intriguing Chinese study suggested benefit by infusing convalescent plasma from a prior infected Covid-19 patient into 5 critically ill patients (see covid Rx convalescent serum jama2020 in dropbox or doi:10.1001/jama.2020.4783 ). Details: -- 5 critically ill patients with laboratory confirmed Covid-19, ARDS, severe pneumonia with rapid progression, and continuously high viral load despite antiviral treatment; PaO 2 /FIO 2 <300; and on mechanical ventilation -- all were treated with convalescent plasma transfusion from donors who recovered from Covid-19 infection, were subsequently negative for SARS-CoV-2, and had serum SARS-CoV-2 specific ELISA antibody titer >1:1000 and a neutralizing antibody titer >40 Cases: --1: 70+ yo male admitted 2 days after symptom onset, with no coexisting chronic diseases, in critical condition with bacterial pneumonia, severe ARDS, multi-organ dysfunction syndrome. On methylprednisolone and lopinavir...