Expert opinion
Few controlled studies have been carried out to assess the efficacy of
convalescent PT in viral infections, perhaps for its application only in
emergencies during epidemics. Surely the many ongoing studies will give
us a better picture of the situation. There are still many unresolved
issues such as the right dose to be administered in the various
categories of patients in both prophylaxis and treatment. In addition,
we need to clarify the duration of effectiveness of PT from the moment
it is administered and whether it should be used in prophylaxis in the
categories of individuals most at risk of infection, such as elderly
patients, immunodepressed patients, healthcare professionals,
individuals with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, residents of
nursing homes. Prevention would bring direct clinical benefit to people
at risk. In addition, the benefits for society as a whole would be
far-reaching, including the protection of healthcare workers working at
the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the effectiveness
of convalescent PT on healing and the effect it can have in preventing
worsening clinical conditions should also be investigated. Another
aspect to be clarified is the right time to take the convalescent plasma
from the healed donor patient, advised that the amount of antibodies
neutralizing the virus changes over time. However, it is likely that
convalescent PT can be therapeutically effective in COVID-19 prophylaxis
and in stages one, two and three of the infection, even in polypharmacy
with antivirals.