Efficacy and Safety of COVID-19 Treatment Using Convalescent Plasma Transfusion: Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Hyun-Jun Lee, Jun-Hyeong Lee, Yejin Cho, Le Thi Nhu Ngoc () and Young-Chul Lee ()
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Hyun-Jun Lee: Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam-Daero, Sujeong-Gu, Seongnam-si 13120, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea
Jun-Hyeong Lee: Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam-Daero, Sujeong-Gu, Seongnam-si 13120, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea
Yejin Cho: Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam-Daero, Sujeong-Gu, Seongnam-si 13120, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea
Le Thi Nhu Ngoc: Department of Industrial and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Environment, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam-Daero, Sujeong-Gu, Seongnam-si 13120, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea
Young-Chul Lee: Department of BioNano Technology, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnam-Daero, Sujeong-Gu, Seongnam-si 13120, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-19

Abstract: This study investigated the efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma (CP) transfusion against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) via a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A total of 5467 articles obtained from electronic databases were assessed; however, only 34 RCTs were eligible after manually screening and eliminating unnecessary studies. The beneficial effect was addressed by assessing the risk ratio (RR) and standardized mean differences (SMDs) of the meta-analysis. It was demonstrated that CP therapy is not effective in improving clinical outcomes, including reducing mortality with an RR of 0.88 [0.76; 1.03] (I 2 = 68% and p = 0.10) and length of hospitalization with SMD of −0.47 [−0.95; 0.00] (I 2 = 99% and p = 0.05). Subgroup analysis provided strong evidence that CP transfusion does not significantly reduce all-cause mortality compared to standard of care (SOC) with an RR of 1.01 [0.99; 1.03] (I 2 = 70% and p = 0.33). In addition, CP was found to be safe for and well-tolerated by COVID-19 patients as was the SOC in healthcare settings. Overall, the results suggest that CP should not be applied outside of randomized trials because of less benefit in improving clinical outcomes for COVID-19 treatment.

Keywords: COVID-19; convalescent plasma transfusion; clinical outcomes; adverse events; systematic review; meta-analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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