"Life-saving" plasma is not something you can donate just because you want to! To donate plasma, these conditions are essential!

rumor:

Anyone can donate "life-saving" plasma. Some friends said, "I am in good health. If I need plasma, I can donate. It doesn't matter if I draw twice more."

Rumors:

The latest "Diagnosis and Treatment Plan for New Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Seventh Edition)" released by the National Health Commission clearly states that convalescent plasma therapy can be used to treat cases with rapid disease progression, severe and critical conditions.

At a time when there is still no specific drug against the new coronavirus, the effectiveness of plasma therapy has undoubtedly given a shot of "cardiac booster" to patients with COVID-19.

Recently, there have been frequent reports about the effectiveness of plasma therapy, but the problem of plasma shortage has also arisen.

How much plasma is needed to treat one patient?

On February 15, China Biotechnology Co., Ltd. said in an interview with the Beijing News that existing clinical experience with other sudden infectious diseases shows that when convalescent plasma is used, the first dose is 200 ml, which is infused within 4 hours. Then, depending on the improvement of the patient's clinical symptoms, another 200 ml can be infused the next day or at an interval of 24-48 hours, with a maximum infusion dose of 500-600 ml (total dose). For pediatric patients, 5 ml/kg can be infused, with the time interval as above, and the maximum number of infusions shall not exceed 3 times. The optimal dosage and course of treatment for each patient should be determined by the doctor according to their specific condition.

On March 4, the National Health Commission issued the "Clinical Treatment Plan for Convalescent Plasma in Patients Recovering from COVID-19 (Trial Second Edition)", which pointed out that the infusion dose is determined based on the clinical condition and patient weight, and the usual infusion dose is 200-500 ml (4-5 ml/kg body weight).

As of 24:00 on March 5, according to reports from various provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps: there are 23,784 confirmed cases, including 5,737 severe cases.

It can be seen that the demand for convalescent plasma is huge.

Sun Yanrong, deputy director of the Biological Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology, called for the launch of a "Thousands of People Donating Plasma to Save Thousands of People" campaign at a press conference of the State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism held on February 17, hoping that recovered patients would donate plasma to continue life.

Doctors fighting on the front line of the epidemic also called on recovered patients to donate plasma.

Some friends said, I am in good health, if I need plasma, I can donate it, it’s okay to draw twice more!

But, sorry, you really can’t.

This time, the "life-saving" plasma can only be "convalescent plasma," or more precisely, "convalescent plasma from patients recovered from COVID-19."

To donate plasma, these conditions must be met!

1. Patients who have recovered from COVID-19 and have been released from isolation at least 3 weeks after the first onset of symptoms.

2. Molecular biological technology testing (such as RT-qPCR) proves that there is no residual viral nucleic acid in the plasma donor's body.

3. High titers of coronavirus antibodies are produced in the plasma donors. According to the "Clinical Treatment Plan for Convalescent Plasma of Recovered Patients with COVID-19 (Trial Second Edition)" issued by the National Health Commission, after the plasma of recovered patients is collected, it is necessary to conduct coronavirus IgG reactivity testing, and the titer must be no less than 160.

4. The plasma donor's age (18-55 years old), weight (female ≥45kg, male ≥50kg) and health condition meet the plasma collection standards.

5. After strict testing, it is proved that the plasma donor is negative for hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C antibody, AIDS antibody, and syphilis spirochete antibody.

When donating plasma, please pay attention to these things!

Before donating plasma:

1. When applying to donate plasma, please bring your ID card and go to the plasma donation station in your area to register for plasma donation. After passing the physical examination and tests, you will be issued a "Plasma Donation Certificate".

2. Plasma donors can only donate plasma at the single-collection plasma stations in the area (county) where they are registered and cannot donate plasma across regions or on a mobile basis.

3. When donating plasma, each plasma donor should have only one plasma donation certificate. Each time you donate plasma, you must present your ID card and plasma donation certificate, go through the plasma donation procedures, and pass the physical examination before you can donate plasma.

4. Donating plasma on an empty stomach can easily cause discomfort such as dizziness. Therefore, you can eat according to your usual habits the day before and on the day of donation, but the food should be less greasy. This can not only ensure that the plasma donor is in a good physiological state when donating plasma, but also avoid blood quality problems such as fatty plasma due to excessively high blood lipid content.

5. Learn about plasma donation, eliminate tension and maintain a good attitude.

6. Do not take medicine before donating plasma, drink appropriate amount of water or porridge, do not drink alcohol, especially strong alcohol, get enough sleep, and do not do strenuous exercise.

After donating plasma:

The main components of plasma are proteins such as albumin, globulin and fibrinogen, as well as lipids, inorganic salts, sugars, amino acids, metabolic waste, and a large amount of water. Therefore, after donating plasma, you can drink a moderate amount of water and eat more high-protein and high-iron foods to promote the re-synthesis of plasma.

Note: The time interval between two plasma donations must not be less than 14 days.

Donating plasma will not cause any harm to the body, but people who suffer from anemia, chronic diseases, infectious diseases, or are in a weak body are not suitable for blood donation.

Donate plasma and help save patients who are still fighting the disease!

Donate plasma and give hope to life!

Further reading: Collection of plasma

1. Plasma collection: The plasma is collected by a blood collection machine, with 200-400 ml of plasma collected each time. The specific amount of plasma collected is determined by the clinical physician. At the same time, samples are retained for plasma quality testing.

2. Plasma packaging: Divide each portion of plasma into 100-200 ml/bag.

3. Plasma storage: Quickly freeze the packaged plasma to below -20°C or 2-6°C above zero for storage.

Jointly produced by Science Refutes Rumors and the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association