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HCA Hospitals in Miami-Dade are currently seeking plasma donations from recovered COVID-19 individuals to potentially help critically ill patients
Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, Mercy Hospital and Kendall Regional Medical Center, are industry leading acute care hospitals that have been providing high quality services in South Florida for more than 60 years, announced on April 27 that they are participating in a national study with HCA Healthcare. The study will help determine if plasma from convalescent, or recovered, COVID-19 patients may benefit individuals currently hospitalized with severe or life-threatening cases of the virus. As part of the effort, the hospitals are seeking eligible volunteers from South Florida to donate plasma to help current patients in need.
“As a learning healthcare system that serves communities across the country, we are proud to play a part in broader global public health initiatives, including this and other research, to identify effective COVID-19 treatments,” said Dr. Jonathan Perlin, chief medical officer at HCA Healthcare. “We’re encouraging the communities HCA Healthcare serves to join us in this important effort to help identify donors.”
To date, there is no proven therapy for individuals who are diagnosed with COVID-19, but there is a long history of successful viral infection treatment using convalescent plasma. After someone is infected with a virus like COVID-19 and recovers, their blood contains antibodies that their immune system produced to help them fight off the virus. By infusing this plasma into patients who are facing severe cases of COVID-19, their immune system might more effectively be able to fight the virus. Recent examples of this approach have occurred during outbreaks of coronaviruses like SARS-1, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), but additional clinical data – and more plasma donations – are needed to determine efficacy in treating COVID-19.
The success of the study hinges on the continued collection of plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients. People who tested positive for COVID-19 and have since tested negative can help by donating plasma through the American Red Cross or another local donation center. To find out more about the donation process, eligibility and locations to donate, please call our dedicated COVID-19 Plasma Phone Line at (833) 582-1971 or visit website.
The HCA Hospitals of Miami-Dade are part of 172 hospitals participating from the HCA Healthcare network. HCA Healthcare, along with its Sarah Cannon Research Institute, is leveraging its clinical research capabilities and national hospital network to quickly expand collection and testing for this study, which is being led by the Mayo Clinic and supported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This is one of several research initiatives involving COVID-19 in which HCA Healthcare and Sarah Cannon are participating.
