St. Luke’s Warren participates in experimental COVID-19 plasma trial

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A COVID-19 patient who was on a ventilator at St. Luke’s Warren Campus is on the road to recovery after successful extubation that followed an experimental blood plasma treatment.

According to St. Luke’s, the patient’s treatment was part of a nationwide expanded access treatment protocol overseen by the Mayo Clinic. Convalescent plasma (the liquid part of blood) from a person who recovered from COVID-19 contains antibodies that may provide a powerful boost to someone else fighting the viral infection.

“Our Warren Campus is proud to be part of St. Luke’s University Health Network’s participation in this national effort to develop a COVID-19 treatment,” said St. Luke’s Warren Campus President Scott Wolfe. “It exemplifies the importance of ingenuity and perseverance to support the heroic, life-saving work of our physicians, nurses and other caregivers.”

Convalescent plasma has a long track record, having been used as a treatment during the Spanish Flu, SARS and Ebola outbreaks. More recently, it appeared to be helpful in a small study of COVID-19 patients from China.

“St. Luke’s participation in this blood plasma trial will help advance the medical community’s understanding of how best to treat COVID-19 patients,” St. Luke’s Infectious Disease Section Chief Dr. Peter Ender said. “Because of the lack of proven treatments for this life-threatening infection, novel approaches are needed.”

“In order for the convalescent plasma program to be successful and allow us to help the greatest number of patients, we really need the help of all of our recovered patients,” St. Luke’s Anesthesiologist Dr. Eric Tesoriero, said.

For more information about plasma, visit https://covidplasma.org/