Treatment Methodology Clinical trials
Plasma Therapy
Convalescent plasma is used for passive immunization of patients as it contains antibodies formed against the novel coronavirus in a recovered individual.
The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan approved clinical trials for plasma therapy on April 8. Some local hospitals have begun considering the experimental use of this therapy on patients in a critical state. Initially 350 members were selected to undergo Clinical Trials, said Dr. Tahir Shamsi. (Latif, 2020)
Proning
Placing the patient in a prone position, on their stomach with the chest down and back upwards. It helps in increasing oxygenation during acute respiratory distress syndrome. Dr Fakhir Raza, an intensivist at SIUT, said proning had been very effective in most of their patients. Out of 20 patients in SIUT who were proned, 11 had been intubated (placed on a ventilator) out of which seven were extubated successfully, he added. “We prone for up to 16 hrs., then we de-prone and check the patient’s vitals,” explained Dr Raza. “There was a remarkable improvement within three to four hours.” (Ahmed, 2020)