The country's first convalescent plasma transfusion trial results have been peer-reviewed and published, showing 19 out of 25 patients improving with the treatment and 11 discharged from the hospital. On March 28, Houston Methodist became the first academic medical center in the nation to transfuse plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients into two critically ill patients.

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With no adverse side effects caused by the plasma transfusion, the study concluded that convalescent plasma is a safe treatment option for patients with severe COVID-19 disease. To date, this is the largest cohort worldwide assessed for outcomes pertaining to convalescent plasma transfusion for COVID-19. The findings are described in a paper appearing in press May 26 (online May 28) in the American Journal of Pathology. This is the first peer-reviewed publication on convalescent plasma use in the US.

James M. Musser, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at Houston Methodist, is the corresponding author on the study, titled "Treatment of COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma." Eric Salazar, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and genomic medicine with the Houston Methodist Research Institute, is the principal investigator who led the project to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma.