SOM Infectious Disease Physicians Seek Plasma Donations from Newly Recovered COVID-19 Patients
Leslie Capo, Director of Information Services
LSU Health New Orleans infectious diseases physicians and staff have put out a call
for plasma donations from people who have recovered from COVID-19. LSU Health New
Orleans is participating in a protocol developed by the Mayo Clinic to expand access
to investigational convalescent plasma therapy and to evaluate its safety.
“We are looking for donors who have recovered from COVID-19 to provide blood plasma
for potential use as therapy in patients with severe and life-threatening COVID-19
at University Medical Center,” says Yussef Bennani, MD, Assistant Professor in the
Section of Infectious Diseases at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine.
Eligible donors are those who previously had a confirmed COVID-19 diagnostic test
AND have had a complete resolution of symptoms for at least 28 days, OR have had a
complete resolution of symptoms for at least 14 days and have a confirmed negative
repeat COVID-19 diagnostic test.
For those interested in donating but with fewer than 28 days since the resolution
of symptoms, repeat testing will be available by appointment.
Those interested in donating plasma should contact Sharon Weiser at the LSU Health
New Orleans Infectious Disease Research Office. Call (504) 568-7740 or email sweise@lsuhsc.edu.
There is currently no approved treatment for COVID-19, and the clinical benefit of
the plasma is unknown with disease caused by this novel virus. Convalescent plasma
therapy has been used effectively as immunotherapy for a number of infectious diseases
for many years, hence the interest in evaluating its safety and efficacy as a rescue
therapy for COVID-19.