convalescent plasma

Anti-inflammatory agents and immunomodulators are key components to treating patients who are severely or critically ill due to a COVID-19 infection.

In this episode, Vikramjit Mukherjee, MD, discusses the role and timing of these treatment options, including:

• High-titer convalescent plasma
• Corticosteroids
• Interleukin-6 inhibitors (eg, tocilizumab)
• Janus kinase inhibitors (eg, baricitinib)

Presenter:
Vikramjit Mukherjee, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, & Sleep Medicine
New York University School of Medicine
Director, Medical Intensive Care Unit
Bellevue Hospital
New York, New York 

Review the downloadable slidesets at: 
https://bit.ly/35NNb7Q

Link to full program: 
https://bit.ly/35SrxQ0

Today I am joined by Infectious Disease expert Dr. Emily Spivak to talk about the latest batch of tocilizumab trials for COVID-19 and a meta-analysis of all the convalescent plasma trials.  Check it out!


Tocilizumab in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 (COVACTA)
IL-6 Receptor Antagonists in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19 (REMAP-CAP)
RECOVERY Tocilizumab pre-print
Meta-analysis of Convalescent Plasma for COVID-19










Music from https://filmmusic.io
"Sneaky Snitch" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

At a rare moment of peak polarization in American history, John Dorlean, a hospitalized father of three, receives an anonymous, crucial donation of convalescent plasma to combat his intensifying case of COVID-19. An article shared thousands of times over 24 hours, along with a bit of good timing, just may have saved John’s life.
 

Episode 36 opens with an examination of "viral" content and some of the key factors that result in content being shared widely. The guys declare that beyond inimitable fail videos captured by accident, outrageous unicorns pooping rainbow sherbet, or tug-at-the-heartstrings branded content, there is a category of viral content that is underrepresented: the call for help from one’s community.

Adam chats with John Dorlean, a personal friend and a father of three from Maine. In December, despite willfully adhering to safety precautions, John and his wife both contracted COVID-19. Wanda didn’t have an easy go of it; intense flu-like symptoms knocked her out of commission. And while she was suffering and John was caring for her and their three children, his own symptoms started presenting. With two sick parents and three kids under the age of 13, now just days before Christmas, the Dorleans’ world was upside down. As Wanda improved, John’s condition worsened, rendering him increasingly short of breath and feverish, eventually landing him in Intensive Care.

Unaware of how tenuous his situation really was, John was told that he required a transfusion of convalescent plasma… (whatever that meant…) but his rare AB Negative blood type meant that the plasma was not immediately available.

While the hospital desperately searched their network, Wanda and a family friend got to work and ultimately got John’s story picked up by regional news networks and by Seacoast Online in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, their regional news outlet. And then the magic started to happen.

The article was shared thousands of times, and within 24 hours, there were multiple leads and interested parties, and a donation of AB Negative convalescent plasma was delivered to the hospital specifically for John the next day. The transfusion saved his life.

Now at home recuperating with lingering symptoms, John shares his incredible story and lends some words of advice to other parents about how to protect their families, and how to continue spreading kindness and generosity, just as it was shown to him.

Also, in an installment of So That’s A Thing Now, we learn that Marc’s kids suddenly love dancing naked!
 

[Episode Transcript]
 

Links:
Article: Kittery Dad Fighting COVID-19 Needs Emergency Plasma Donation
Article: Kittery Man Battling COVID-19 Gets Overnight Plasma Donation
Wife of Kittery Man Fighting COVID-19 'Blown Away' by Support
American Red Cross
Plasma Donation Information
Half Court Basketball Shot
Balloon Boy Hoax
Dove "Real Beauty Sketches"
Squatty Potty Commercial
Harmon Brothers
“Wonky Donkey” by Craig Smith
“Funky Dunky” by Harry Connick, Jr.
Red Vault Audio
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee

Time Stamps

00:00 Podcast Intro

00:35 Now that the EAP is closed, how are doctors getting convalescent plasma for their patients?

08:50 What new information have we learned about convalescent plasma in recent months?

13:28 If we are in a period of shortage and there is only low titer available, is it ideal to transfer two units of convalescent plasma in that context?

15:30 What remaining questions about convalescent plasma are you most curious about?

18:52 How can study design enable or inhibit certain questions to be asked and answered?

21:00 Are there any additional transfusion therapies on the horizon?

23:50 Outro 

Antibodies, convalescent plasma, gene-based vaccines — you may have heard these terms on the evening news, but what do they mean? How might they help in the battle against Covid-19? As the race to develop a vaccine continues, questions remain about effectiveness, testing, and whether people will actually get the vaccine once it’s on the market. Two medical experts involved in the fight explain the science behind developing effective protection. Judith Aberg is Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases for Mount Sinai Health System. She’s leading Mount Sinai’s Covid-19 treatment guidelines and the hospital’s clinical trials unit. Florian Krammer is a professor of vaccinology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Kenneth L. Davis, president and CEO of Mount Sinai Health System, leads the conversation. Davis is a trustee of the Aspen Institute.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Aspen Institute is nonpartisan and does not endorse, support, or oppose political candidates or parties. Further, the views and opinions of our guests and speakers do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute.

aspenideas.org

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Six weeks after we first heard from Baptist Health South Florida physicians and leaders on the front lines of the Coronavirus pandemic, we checked in with them again for an update. In the wake of this summer’s surge in cases, find out where we stand now, what has been learned and what’s next for our patients, our healthcare system and the communities we serve. 

The panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Jonathan Fialkow, included Michael Zinner, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and Executive Medical Director at Miami Cancer Institute; Yvonne Johnson, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at South Miami Hospital; Samer Fahmy, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Boca Raton Regional Hospital and Rachel Evers, MSN, Director of Surgical Services at Baptist Hospital. 

(Note: This discussion is excerpted from a Resource Live streaming event which can be viewed on Baptist Health South Florida’s Facebook page.)

For more information about COVID-19 please visit BaptistHealth-coronavirus.com

Dr. Arturo Casadevall has been promoting “convalescent plasma” as a treatment for disease since before the pandemic took hold in the U.S. He explains what it is, how it helps with COVID-19, and why we need much, much more.

We're back with some of the latest updates on COVID-19!  Are hydroxychloroquine or azithromycin associated with increased risk of mortality or cardiac arrest?  Does triple combination antiviral therapy shorten time to a negative viral swab?  Does remdesivir shorten time to clinical improvement?  Should we be giving patients convalescent plasma?  If you were the patient with severe COVID-19, which therapies would you want?

Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin in New York City

Triple Combination Therapy for COVID-19 in Hong Kong

Remdesivir in adults with Severe COVID-19

Treatment of 5 Patients with Convalescent Plasma










Music from https://filmmusic.io
"Sneaky Snitch" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Dylan Sings Quarantine by Raffi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeEBcmkcJm8