Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes (Oct 2023)

Rates Among Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 Treated With Convalescent Plasma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

  • Jonathon W. Senefeld, PhD,
  • Ellen K. Gorman, BS,
  • Patrick W. Johnson, BS,
  • M. Erin Moir, PhD,
  • Stephen A. Klassen, PhD,
  • Rickey E. Carter, PhD,
  • Nigel S. Paneth, MD,
  • David J. Sullivan, MD,
  • Olaf H. Morkeberg, BA,
  • R. Scott Wright, MD,
  • DeLisa Fairweather, PhD,
  • Katelyn A. Bruno, PhD,
  • Shmuel Shoham, MD,
  • Evan M. Bloch, MBChB, MS,
  • Daniele Focosi, MD,
  • Jeffrey P. Henderson, MD, PhD,
  • Justin E. Juskewitch, MD, PhD,
  • Liise-Anne Pirofski, MD,
  • Brenda J. Grossman, MD, MPH,
  • Aaron A.R. Tobian, MD, PhD,
  • Massimo Franchini, MD,
  • Ravindra Ganesh, MBBS, MD,
  • Ryan T. Hurt, MD, PhD,
  • Neil E. Kay, MD,
  • Sameer A. Parikh, MBBS,
  • Sarah E. Baker, PhD,
  • Zachary A. Buchholtz, BS,
  • Matthew R. Buras, BS,
  • Andrew J. Clayburn, BS,
  • Joshua J. Dennis, BS,
  • Juan C. Diaz Soto, MD,
  • Vitaly Herasevich, MD, PhD,
  • Allan M. Klompas, MB, BCh, BAO,
  • Katie L. Kunze, PhD,
  • Kathryn F. Larson, MD,
  • John R. Mills, PhD,
  • Riley J. Regimbal, BS,
  • Juan G. Ripoll, MD,
  • Matthew A. Sexton, MD,
  • John R.A. Shepherd, MD,
  • James R. Stubbs, MD,
  • Elitza S. Theel, PhD,
  • Camille M. van Buskirk, MD,
  • Noud van Helmond, MD,
  • Matthew N.P. Vogt, MD,
  • Emily R. Whelan, BS,
  • Chad C. Wiggins, PhD,
  • Jeffrey L. Winters, MD,
  • Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD,
  • Michael J. Joyner, MD

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 5
pp. 499 – 513

Abstract

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Objective: To examine the association of COVID-19 convalescent plasma transfusion with mortality and the differences between subgroups in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Patients and Methods: On October 26, 2022, a systematic search was performed for clinical studies of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in the literature from January 1, 2020, to October 26, 2022. Randomized clinical trials and matched cohort studies investigating COVID-19 convalescent plasma transfusion compared with standard of care treatment or placebo among hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 were included. The electronic search yielded 3841 unique records, of which 744 were considered for full-text screening. The selection process was performed independently by a panel of 5 reviewers. The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Data were extracted by 5 independent reviewers in duplicate and pooled using an inverse-variance random effects model. The prespecified end point was all-cause mortality during hospitalization. Results: Thirty-nine randomized clinical trials enrolling 21,529 participants and 70 matched cohort studies enrolling 50,160 participants were included in the systematic review. Separate meta-analyses reported that transfusion of COVID-19 convalescent plasma was associated with a decrease in mortality compared with the control cohort for both randomized clinical trials (odds ratio [OR], 0.87; 95% CI, 0.76-1.00) and matched cohort studies (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88). The meta-analysis of subgroups revealed 2 important findings. First, treatment with convalescent plasma containing high antibody levels was associated with a decrease in mortality compared with convalescent plasma containing low antibody levels (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.99). Second, earlier treatment with COVID-19 convalescent plasma was associated with a decrease in mortality compared with the later treatment cohort (OR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.48 to 0.82). Conclusion: During COVID-19 convalescent plasma use was associated with a 13% reduced risk of mortality, implying a mortality benefit for hospitalized patients with COVID-19, particularly those treated with convalescent plasma containing high antibody levels treated earlier in the disease course.