‘Covid-19 patient death not linked to plasma therapy failure’

Team Udayavani, May 15, 2020, 4:21 PM IST

Chamrajnagar: Education Minister Minister S Suresh Kumar, who is spokesperson for COVID-19 in Karnataka clarified that the death of a 60-year-old coronavirus positive patient was not owing to plasma therapy failure but due to cardiac arrest.

The patient, P796, a resident of Andhra Pradesh was undergoing treatment at the designated Bengaluru hopital where he died of cardiac arrest on Thursday, May 14. He was the first patient in Karnataka to get plasma therapy treatment.

Meanwhile few media reports suggested that the death was a result of plasma therapy failure.

Briefing reporters here Kumar said that the patient had severe pneumonia, respiratory issues, diabetes and was on ventilator. “Only 15 percent patients placed on ventilator are likely to recover. The plasma therapy trial was attempted as a last resort knowing that the chances of his recovery was less. This case cannot be seen as a judgement on the therapy itself. When we use plasma therapy on a larger population, we would be able to make a direct relation,” he added.

Centre permission for plasma therapy treatment has been received for centres at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru and Hubbali. So far five people have come forward to donate plasma.

The Minister also added that plasma therapy treatment will be given only to those patients who consent for the same.