A systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 randomized controlled studies concludes that use of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients doesn't appear to improve survival or clinical status, shorten hospital stays, or reduce the need for mechanical ventilation.Led by researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland and published late last week in JAMA, the study found that the risk ratio (RR) for death in the four peer-reviewed, published trials involving 1,060 coronavirus patients was 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63 to 1.38; absolute risk difference, -1.21% (95% CI, -5.29% to 2.88%).
The death rate in patients who received convalescent plasma was 11.6%, compared with 12.7% in controls.After adding 6 unpublished studies (5