April 20, 2020

A critically ill patient has received a transfusion of plasma from a recovered COVID-19 patient, the first use of the therapy in the Sanford Health system.

The treatment is part of a national clinical trial to test the effect of blood plasma in treating COVID-19. The use of plasma under this program is for hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 or those at high risk of progression to life-threatening disease, Sanford said in a statement.

Convalescent plasma is an antibody-rich product made from blood donated by people who have recovered from COVID-19. Studies suggest that the plasma may lessen the severity or shorten the length of the illness caused by the virus, Sanford said.

“This is another step forward in our efforts to find effective treatments for this virus,” said Dr. Allison Suttle, chief medical officer for Sanford Health.

“It’s still early, but we are optimistic that the disease-fighting antibodies found in plasma could potentially slow the progression of the disease in our sickest patients.”

Because the therapy is still considered experimental, the convalescent plasma is being administered under the Expanded Access Program led by Mayo Clinic. Multiple Sanford sites are participating in the program.

Sanford’s first patient receiving the therapy is in Fargo. The blood plasma used in the treatment was obtained from the New York Blood Center. Sanford said it will use the therapy with more patients as needed in the coming weeks.

Sanford said it is working to open several clinical trials for COVID-19 treatments, including prophylactic use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent or reduce the severity of the disease in high-risk patients exposed to the virus, such as health care workers.

Avera announced last week that it is participating in the same blood plasma trial led by Mayo Clinic.