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Province of Buenos Aires: 90% of patients with plasma-treated COVID-19 improved

2020-06-05T09:31:08.282Z


Among those who responded to this therapeutic tool, which is being tested, is a 12-year-old girl and an 11-month-old baby.


06/03/2020 - 16:03

  • Clarín.com
  • Society

The 90% of patients treated with COVID-19 plasma in health centers in the province of Buenos Aires recovered . There are 26 people - out of a total of 29 - who started the treatments three weeks ago. In the healed group there are two minors (one 12 years old and another 11 months old) who were treated at the Children's Hospital.

The Buenos Aires Ministry of Health began a campaign so that the patients who passed COVID-19 approach the hemotherapy banks to provide this blood component rich in antibodies against the pandemic virus. The authorities explained that each donation can be used in up to four patients and the records obtained from the tests allow optimism: "This blood component could become the first" cure "for the infection that haunts the world," they are excited.

In provincial health centers, the "complete recovery" of two men was found, among others. And notable improvements in the state of health of a girl and a baby who are still hospitalized. The adult males are 43 and 40 years old and were admitted to intensive care at the Trauma Hospital Federico Abete, from the Malvinas Argentinas party, and have already been discharged .

In turn, the two pediatric patients treated with plasma and favorable results are a 12-year-old girl and a newborn baby, both admitted to the Sor María Ludovica provincial hospital in La Plata. “A girl with symptoms of gastroenteritis came from Mar de Ajó, then a fever appeared and we confirmed that it was COVID-19. We defined convalescent plasma DE application and in just 24 hours it had a very good evolution ”, said the director of the Children's Hospital, Eduardo Pucci. The doctor added in an interview with La Cielo radio   that “a newborn in the Fiorito de Avellaneda hospital was diagnosed with the virus that was transmitted from his asymptomatic mother. He presented respiratory difficulties and from the plasma application he recovered and is now without assistance, eating and in a common room ”.

The provincial director of Hospitals, Juan Riera, explained in turn that "all the cases are part of the Provincial Protocol of Investigation on Convalescent Plasma of COVID-19", aimed at moderate to severe patients . "Of 29 cases, 26 improved markedly, 8 were discharge data and three died. We assume that the people who died, who had other underlying diseases, were already at a very advanced stage of the infection ”, specified Lorena Regairaz, immunologist and technical advisor to the Provincial Protocol. That also clarified that plasma does not reduce the damage that the virus has already caused in the body , "but it does stop viremia, that is, the replication of the virus."

Plasma is obtained from a blood donation from someone cured of COVID-19. Blood extraction and processing is the responsibility of the Provincial Hemotherapy Institute, based in La Plata. There the required units are prepared and sent to the Buenos Aires hospitals that need them.

In order to obtain the plasma, the blood undergoes a procedure called "apheresis ", which separates this component from the others that make up the vital fluid. 

"To be applied, the patient with coronavirus or his closest relative must sign an informed consent explaining that it is part of a protocol, and giving details of the scope of this therapy that is still novel and is being investigated but which, fortunately, begins to show auspicious results ”, clarified Riera.

For blood donation, patients in the province of Buenos Aires who have recovered from COVID-19 should contact the Cucaiba toll free line: 0800-222-0101 . The people of La Plata can contact the Provincial Institute of Hemotherapy (15 street, 66 corner), and if they live in other municipalities they can call that line to  indicate where they should go to make the donation , which is a brief, painless and sure.

Until a few days ago, José Iturbe (43) and Carlos Arapa (40), both from Grand Bourg and construction workers, were hospitalized in intensive care at the Trauma hospital Federico Abete, in Malvinas Argentinas. Both admit that they thought: "I'm not leaving here . "

"I entered the hospital with 40 degrees of fever and shortness of breath, they did the tests and gave me a positive for coronavirus," Iturbe said. "As I was getting worse, I went to intensive care and they gave me oxygen, but it did not improve; then they told me that they would apply plasma from a person who had recovered from the coronavirus," said the patient. For Iturbe it was a good decision: “the next day they took out the cannula and the oxygen mask. I was saved thanks to the plasma ”, he declared. He was discharged on May 24, after 16 days of hospitalization.

Carlos Arapa started with mild symptoms on May 2, but on May 11 he was already serious: he couldn't breathe. That day he was admitted to intensive care: “It is terrible, I was without strength, almost delivered , until a doctor asked me for permission to do the plasma treatment. Obviously I said yes, the recovery was very fast, the next day I was already strong. A few days passed, he was transferred to a common room and on May 22 he was released.

La Plata. Correspondent.

LGP

Source: clarin

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