Corona may have crippled us, but Bengaluru is ready for the bloodfight
THE GREEN ZONE: A Covid survivor plants a sapling at the BMCRI premises with the Dean (left)
38-year-old diabetic woman with severe symptoms makes dramatic recovery, thanks to convalescent plasma therapy . Corona may have crippled us, but Bengaluru is ready for...
It’s too soon to say but is the cure to Covid in our blood? City doctors have made a breakthrough with Convalescent Plasma Therapy (CPT) on a 38-year-old woman who is now stable and out of theIntensive Care Unit (ICU). After CPT, both her swab tests currently stand negative and she is likely to be discharged soon.
According to the health bulletin released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, this 38-year-old patient is from Thanisandra, DJ Halli. She tested positive on May 24 and started becoming a symptomatic by May 29. She was shifted from the Bowring Institute to Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI ) at the Victoria hospital campus.
“She received Convalescent Plasma Therapy on May 27. Since then there has been a steady improvement in her condition resulting in her being weaned off high flow nasal oxygen on June 2, 2020. She was shifted from the ICU to the ward on June 4th and is presently on two litres / minute oxygen,” she added.
The patient also had symptoms of breathlessness, cough, fever, and saturation was less than 90 percent.
Dr Jayanthi said that over the last week, there has been a significant improvement in her clinical condition, and it is encouraging. “We are closely monitoring her and hope to see her recover completely and get discharged soon,” she added.
Doctors at the BMCRI said that currently there are eight donors who have donated blood for plasma therapy at the HCG Cancer Institute which is working in association with BMCRI. HCG will draw the blood, store the plasma and then give it toCovid-19 patients whenever it is required. Doctors said that there are a total of eight donors (one female and seven male who have recovered from Covid-19 and have donated their blood.)
What is Plasma therapy
Blood from the recovered Covid-19 persons is drawn, the plasma is cultured and stores at minus 80 degree Farenheit. This blood component is then administered to critically ill patients as and when required so that their bodies develop natural immunity. The first patient who received CPT died. Patient number 769 (age 60 ) was administered CPT after he was brought in with symptoms of severe pneumonia and respiratory distress with hypotension and known case of diabetes mellitus. Doctors say the therapy did not work due to his poor pre-existing health conditions.
“The death of the patient was definitely not because CPT was administered at a critical stage. He had a severe case of pneumonia. He was brought here from a private hospital with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI). He had low Blood Pressure too. Though CPT was attempted, his blood pressure did not pick up. He died due to a cardiac arrest,” said Dr Jayanthi.
First patient in Hubballi
On June 2, 2020 the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospital in Hubballi had announced that they had succeeded in plasma therapy on a sexagenarian Covid-19 patient.
KIMS director Dr Ramalingappa Antaratani also said that it was the first breakthrough in Karnataka. According to a press statement, the director had stated, “In KIMS, the 65-year-old male patient (P- 2170), who was admitted on May 27, was on oxygen support when doctors began plasma therapy on May 28. A 63-year-old male patient (P-373) from Hubballi, who had recovered from Covid-19, came forward to donate plasma for the treatment. With the help of experts at Dr RB Patil Cancer Institute at Navanagar, Hubballi, we extracted the plasma and 200ml of it was administered twice to the patient. We had obtained the nod from ICMR and the state’s expert committee on Covid-19.” The doctors said that his condition had improved after the therapy.
It’s too soon to say but is the cure to Covid in our blood? City doctors have made a breakthrough with Convalescent Plasma Therapy (CPT) on a 38-year-old woman who is now stable and out of the
According to the health bulletin released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, this 38-year-old patient is from Thanisandra, DJ Halli. She tested positive on May 24 and started becoming a symptomatic by May 29. She was shifted from the Bowring Institute to Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (
She is the second patient to receive CPT. Talking about the CPT trial, Dr CR Jayanthi, director-cum-dean of BMCRI said, “The second plasma therapy patient is stable and has been shifted out of the ICU. This 38-year-old female was showing severe symptoms of Covid-19. She was also diabetic with poor sugar control. She was put on high flow nasal oxygen, antibiotics and Covid treatment as per protocol.”
“She received Convalescent Plasma Therapy on May 27. Since then there has been a steady improvement in her condition resulting in her being weaned off high flow nasal oxygen on June 2, 2020. She was shifted from the ICU to the ward on June 4th and is presently on two litres / minute oxygen,” she added.
The patient also had symptoms of breathlessness, cough, fever, and saturation was less than 90 percent.
Dr Jayanthi said that over the last week, there has been a significant improvement in her clinical condition, and it is encouraging. “We are closely monitoring her and hope to see her recover completely and get discharged soon,” she added.
Doctors at the BMCRI said that currently there are eight donors who have donated blood for plasma therapy at the HCG Cancer Institute which is working in association with BMCRI. HCG will draw the blood, store the plasma and then give it to
What is Plasma therapy
Blood from the recovered Covid-19 persons is drawn, the plasma is cultured and stores at minus 80 degree Farenheit. This blood component is then administered to critically ill patients as and when required so that their bodies develop natural immunity. The first patient who received CPT died. Patient number 769 (age 60 ) was administered CPT after he was brought in with symptoms of severe pneumonia and respiratory distress with hypotension and known case of diabetes mellitus. Doctors say the therapy did not work due to his poor pre-existing health conditions.
“The death of the patient was definitely not because CPT was administered at a critical stage. He had a severe case of pneumonia. He was brought here from a private hospital with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI). He had low Blood Pressure too. Though CPT was attempted, his blood pressure did not pick up. He died due to a cardiac arrest,” said Dr Jayanthi.
First patient in Hubballi
On June 2, 2020 the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospital in Hubballi had announced that they had succeeded in plasma therapy on a sexagenarian Covid-19 patient.
KIMS director Dr Ramalingappa Antaratani also said that it was the first breakthrough in Karnataka. According to a press statement, the director had stated, “In KIMS, the 65-year-old male patient (P- 2170), who was admitted on May 27, was on oxygen support when doctors began plasma therapy on May 28. A 63-year-old male patient (P-373) from Hubballi, who had recovered from Covid-19, came forward to donate plasma for the treatment. With the help of experts at Dr RB Patil Cancer Institute at Navanagar, Hubballi, we extracted the plasma and 200ml of it was administered twice to the patient. We had obtained the nod from ICMR and the state’s expert committee on Covid-19.” The doctors said that his condition had improved after the therapy.
