Jain’s condition worsens, plasma therapy likely

Jain’s condition worsens, plasma therapy likely

DurgeshNandan.Jha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:  20.06.2020

State health minister Satyendar Jain, who was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty hospital for Covid-19 treatment two days ago, was shifted to a private healthcare facility as his condition deteriorated on Friday.

In his CT scan, doctors found that lung infection and pneumonia had increased. Jain had been feeling very tired and giddy since the morning, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday while commenting about the 55-year-old’s condition.

Sources said he would be undergoing plasma therapy at Max Smart, Saket, where he is currently admitted. He has been kept in the ICU and is not able to maintain oxygen saturation despite full oxygen support. “His condition isn’t critical, but he needs continuous monitoring. Also, we feel plasma therapy may help him recover faster,” said a source.

Max Healthcare didn’t issue any official statement on the minister’s condition or treatment plan. However, sources confirmed that plasma therapy was planned to be administered on Friday night itself. “The hospital will use plasma stored in the blood bank,” said a source.

Covid-19 is known to damage lung function in severe cases. Oxygen support is necessitated when a patient is not able to breathe on his or her own. In rare cases, ventilator support is also needed. If the patient’s lung function deteriorates further, it has a cascading effect on other organs and sometimes leads to death.

Plasma therapy, many doctors believe, helps reduce the severity of the disease, thus saving lives. As people fight the novel coronavirus infection, they produce antibodies that attack the virus. These antibodies are secreted by immune cells known as B lymphocytes, which is found in plasma or liquid part of the blood and helps in clotting when needed, and supports immunity.

A person who recovers from the infection develops antibodies that stay in the blood waiting to fight the virus should it return. The concept behind administering plasma therapy is that the antibodies present in the blood of a patient who has recovered from the disease may help those fighting it. One person’s donation of plasma can help two people.

“Plasma therapy isn’t new. It was used on an experimental basis even during the devastating 1918 flu, apart from treating measles in the 1930s. More recently, plasma therapy has been used to treat victims of Ebola, SARS and H1N1 influenza,” said a doctor.

This year, an early review of five critically ill Covid-19 patients in China found that they appeared to improve after receiving convalescent plasma. Many medical institutions across India are also conducting trials.

In Satyendar Jain’s CT scan, doctors found that lung infection and pneumonia had increased