Expert Panel Updates Guidelines for Clinical CCP Use

A committee of experts assembled by AABB’s Board of Directors recently published updated guidelines for the clinical use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP), comprising recommendations for the medical community. The updated guidelines reflect new evidence relevant to the appropriate use of CCP treatment for patients with COVID-19 that has been released since the guidelines’ original March 2021 publication in Transfusion.

In order to update the clinical practice guidelines, AABB’s Board of Directors convened a committee of international subject matter experts, including members of AABB’s Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee. The committee completed a formal systematic review and meta-analysis of the data and used GRADE methodology to formulate the updated recommendations. The committee focused exclusively on randomized trial data to minimize the risk of bias.

In addition to these guidelines, AABB continues to provide resources and tools for both blood collectors and health care providers on CCP collection and treatment, including its Toolkit for CCP and its COVID-19 Resources page.