Silver Cross Offers Clinical Trial For Coronavirus Patients

NEW LENOX, IL — Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox has become the area's first hospital to offer coronavirus patients convalescent plasma therapy, a clinical trial treatment through the Mayo Clinic. According to the hospital, the treatment uses antibodies from plasma donated by individuals who have recovered or are in the process of recovering from the coronavirus.

The plasma is then transfused into patients currently fighting the virus. The nationwide study is led by researchers at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The hospital said it is one of 2,000 participating hospitals across the country.

“Silver Cross was the first in the area to participate in this trial with the first patient receiving the treatment on April 28,” said Dr. Samer Dola, a pathologist at Silver Cross. As the principal investigator, Dr. Dola oversees the team of doctors, coordinators and the blood bank involved in the study at Silver Cross.

The hospital said the team’s clinical coordinator is Mary Shanahan, Administrative Director of Nursing Operations, Nursing Practice and Nursing Quality/Safety at Silver Cross. Shanahan is responsible for documenting patient response to the treatment and sharing it with researchers at Mayo Clinic.

“We are still very early in this trial, but we are hopeful that we are on the right path,” she said.

Don't miss updates in New Lenox as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

“With all experimental therapies, the patients who are eligible to receive this treatment are the ones who have tried everything already without success and are facing severe or life-threatening manifestations of COVID-19,” Dr. Dola said. “The treating physician is the one who makes the recommendation to register the patient in the trial as long as consent is given by the patient or their family.”

The hospital said the strict criteria does not allow for asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients to participate, as their immune system is providing the necessary antibodies to fight on their own.

“Thousands of patients across the U.S. are needed to determine if the treatment works,” Dr. Dola said in a release. “It’s a numbers game, and the numbers need to show that the experimental treatment is not harming anyone, but most importantly that it is effective. The data that we and all the participating hospitals across the nation are providing is what will show that hopefully positive result.”

“I am so proud to be a part of this progressive research therapy team, as the results not only benefit the patients we fight for in our hospital, but we are part of something bigger, a national effort in the fight against COVID-19,” he added.

If you would like to learn more on how to donate plasma, you can go to the trial site.

Read more:

• Illinois Coronavirus Update May 11: 77,741 Cases, 3,406 Deaths
• Pritzker In Quarantine As Staffer Tests Positive For Coronavirus