MIDLAND, Texas — Midland Memorial Hospital is working on a new way to treat COVID-19 patients who have extreme symptoms and who are at risk of dying.
It is called convalescent plasma.
Doctors will inject COVID-19 patients with blood plasma from people who have recovered from the illness.
Last weekend was the first time they tried this. That patient was very ill on Saturday, and after the plasma, she showed immediate improvement the following day.
That patient is expected to make a full recovery and will be released from the hospital soon.
The plasma donation from over the weekend came from Dallas, and it almost did not get here on time.
Starting Thursday more plasma will be coming from folks right here in the Basin who have recovered from COVID-19.
“COVID-19 is a new virus and there isn't a lot of known treatments for COVID-19, William Klingensmith, Pathologist and Medical Laboratory Director at MMH, said.
While the virus may be new, the hospitals are leaning on old ways to help patients get better.
“Convalescent plasma was first used at least in the 1800s, it was used for many years before antibiotics and way before antivirals,” Klingensmith said.
The hospital is injecting patients with blood plasma from people who have recovered from the illness.
“It’s the fluid part of your blood and it contains the antibodies, the virus-fighting particles," Klingensmith said. "Convalescent plasma is a general term that will work with any disease if the donors already had that infection.”
In fact, the first donation was done Thursday at Vitalant in Midland.
“He’s a real hero, he tested negative a couple days ago," Klingensmith said. "Now he’s in here donating plasma saving lives.”
In order to save more lives, the hospital needs more COVID-19 survivors to donate plasma.
“We’re just now getting people who have had the disease and then have recovered for at least 14 days," Klingensmith said.
Those people must test negatively and will be able to donate plasma once every eight days.
"We're able to give that plasma to patients who are suffering in the hospital and are at risk of serious morbidity or mortality," Klingensmith said
Klingensmith mentions they need every drop of plasma they can get.
Today’s hero who donated was able to give four units of plasma, those units can save up to four people’s lives.
If you have recovered from the virus and would like to donate you can call 432-221-1111 and ask for the blood bank supervisor.
MORE FROM NEWSWEST 9: