Therapeutic use of convalescent plasma in patients with COVID-19

COVID-19, a disease considered by the World Health Organization as a global pandemic, has so far lacked effective and specific therapy. Among the therapeutic alternatives used to decrease the severity of the process and shorten its duration, passive immunization with plasma transfusions obtained from recovered patients is of great interest. The efficacy and safety results of published research are reviewed. In these articles, there is no complete coincidence in the plasma volumes administered, in the antibody title required, time of initiation of treatment, and in the variables selected to evaluate the response. Most studies have few cases and lack a control group. However, an improvement in the clinical and laboratory parameters of the transfused patients is generally reported, with an adequate safety profile. There are more than 100 registered clinical trials, which are currently trying to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the use of convalescent plasma in patients afflicted by COVID-19.