en Infectious Disease Infectious Disease Original Research Original Research <p><span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="font-style:italic"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">Background: </span></span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">Since the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the treatment protocols are continuously updated, based on the evidence gathered all around the world and reported to the World Health Organization. Like many other emerging infectious diseases, using convalescent plasma from those recovered from the disease was a preliminary treatment approach that showed partial effectiveness for severe COVID-19 patients. Besides, blood filtration strategies, such as hemoperfusion and plasmapheresis, are employed to lessen the load of inflammatory molecules. However, few studies compared their effects to conclude which treatment might be more efficacious for COVID-19 patients. We compared the effects of plasmapheresis or plasma exchange, convalescent plasma therapy, and hemoperfusion on O2 saturation and inflammatory factors in COVID-19 patients.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Methods:</b> In this retrospective study, 50 COVID-19 patients received standard treatments based the international guidelines. Patients were divided into 4 groups: hemoperfusion, plasmapheresis, plasma therapy, and control. The control group received only the standard treatments. The mortality rate, O₂ saturation, and laboratory factors were compared between the 4 groups.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Results:</b> We found a significant decrease in the C-reactive protein level following hemoperfusion (32.75 &plusmn; 23.76 vs 13 &plusmn; 7.54 mg/dL; </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">p</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"> = 0.032) but not plasmapheresis and plasma therapy. Besides, serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">p</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"> = 0.327, 0.136, 0.550, for hemoperfusion, plasmapheresis, and plasma therapy, respectively) and other inflammatory molecules did not significantly change following treatments. There is also no significant difference in the mortality rate between the treatment groups (</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">p</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"> = 0.353).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Conclusion:</b> It seems that hemoperfusion, plasmapheresis, and plasma therapy did not have considerable effects on decreasing the inflammation and mortality rate compared with standard treatment.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> &nbsp;</p> COVID-19, Plasmapheresis, Hemoperfusion, Convalescent Plasma 1086 1093 http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-6255-3&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Sedighe Sadadt Akhlaghi S-akhlaghi@sbmu.ac.ir 200319475328460074464 200319475328460074464 No Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Taleghani Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Shahram Alamdari شهرام علمداری alamdari@endocrine.ac.ir 200319475328460074465 200319475328460074465 No Endocrinology Ward, Taleghani Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Homa Masrour masrourhoma@gmail.com 200319475328460074466 200319475328460074466 No Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Taleghani Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Katayoun Najafizadeh Katynajafi@yahoo.com 200319475328460074467 200319475328460074467 No 3. Lung Transplantation Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Sayeh Parkhideh Drsayehparkhideh48@gmail.com 200319475328460074468 200319475328460074468 No Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Katayoun Hassanzadeh dr.k_hassanzadeh@yahoo.com 200319475328460074469 200319475328460074469 No Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Taleghani Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Hasan Ghadiani mhghadiani1346@gmail.com 200319475328460074470 200319475328460074470 No Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Taleghani Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Fatemeh Sadat Mirabootalebi Mirabootalebi@sbmu.ac.ir 200319475328460074471 200319475328460074471 Yes Department of Internal Medicine and Nephrology, Taleghani Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Abbas Hajifathali hajifathali@yahoo.com 200319475328460074472 200319475328460074472 No Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran