COVID-19 patient cured through plasma therapy discharged

The first patient to be successfully cured of COVID-19 infection through plasma therapy returned home on Wednesday after being discharged from the designated COVID hospital, Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS). The patient was admitted to the hospital on May 27 and underwent convalescent plasma therapy on May 29 and 30.

Hubballi: In a first in Karnataka, a COVID-19 patient who underwent convalescent plasma therapy at designated COVID-19 hospital, Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMC) in Hubballi has successfully recovered and returned home after being discharged on Wednesday.

Minister for Large and Medium Industries and district-in-charge Jagdish Shettar along with KIMS Director Ramalingappa Antarani and Medical Superintendent Arunkumar Chavan wished the patient, a 65-year old truck driver (P 2170), with a bouquet before he returned home in an ambulance on Wednesday.

The truck driver from Hubballi who had returned from Maharashtra was admitted to KIMS hospital on May 27 with a severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and moderate COVID symptoms.

The 64-year-old didn't improve with initial treatment. Later, an expert committee took a decision on plasma therapy and a 63-year-old graveyard guard who was cured of the infection agreed to donate blood from the extraction of plasma. The donated plasma was then injected into the patient on May 29 and 30.

Subsequently, after the team led by Dr Ramalingappa carried out the therapy on the patient, he showed signs of recovery in just two days.

This was the first plasma therapy conducted on COVID-19 patient at KIMS hospital.