Severe pneumonia is a common compilation of COVID-19. Several studies have supported the efficacy of convalescent plasma treatment to improve the clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. But whether convalescent plasma therapy is helpful in patients with COVID-19 severe pneumonia is not certain. This study aims to ascertain the efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in patients with COVID-19 severe pneumonia.
This randomized clinical trial included a total of 228 patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. The patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive convalescent plasma or placebo. The primary outcome of the study was clinical status 30 days post-intervention as measured by the six-point ordinal scale.
On day 30, no major difference was reported between the convalescent plasma group and the placebo group on the six-point ordinary scale. The overall mortality during the study was 10.96% in the convalescent plasma group and 11.43% in the placebo group. However, the total COVID-19 virus antibody titers were higher in the convalescent plasma group as compared with the placebo group. The incidence of serious adverse events was similar in the two groups.
The research concluded that there was no significant difference in the clinical status or overall mortality between patients in the convalescent and placebo groups.
Ref: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2031304
