Indore: Shri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences has become the first institute to use the plasma therapy for the treatment of critical COVID-19 patients in the state. Three patients have been selected for treatment with this therapy.
This was informed by Health Minister Narottam Mishra through his tweet. He also wished the SAIMS all the best.
According to chairman of SAIMS, Dr Vinod Bhandari, during the conference with Union Health Minister and State Health Minister Narottam Mishra, they were directed to send the affidavit to follow all the norms of Indian Council of Medical Research to start plasma therapy.
“We have sent the affidavit and have also got permission for the same. Our team of doctors have started working on it and three of the cured patients, who were discharged from SAIMS, have even donated the plasma as well,” he said.
They are Dr Izhar Munshi, Dr Akash Tiwari and Dr Iqbal Qureshi donated their blood plasma for the cause.
“We have extracted the plasma and have started injecting the same to the three patients, including Kapil Bhalla, Priyal Jain and Anish Jain. We will keep them in sustain observation for a week,” Dr Bhandari added.
What is plasma therapy?
The convalescent plasma therapy aims at using antibodies from the blood of a recovered Covid-19 patient to treat those critically affected by the virus. The therapy can also be used to immunise those at a high risk of contracting the virus -- such as health workers, families of patients and other high-risk contacts,
It is based on the fact that the blood of a patient who has recovered from Covid-19 contains antibodies with the specific ability of fighting novel coronavirus. The theory is that the recovered patient's antibodies, once ingested into somebody under treatment, will begin targeting and fighting the novel coronavirus in the second patient.
However, it is used on a trial basis and experts believe it as a prevention method and not treatment for COVID-19.
