Coronavirus: Miami Valley Hospital cardiologist remains stable after receiving plasma

DAYTON — A prominent cardiologist who was hospitalized due to coronavirus and received a plasma donation remains in stable condition, a colleague told News Center 7.

Dr. Mukul Chandra is the medical director of cardiac preventive care and research at Miami Valley Hospital. He received a plasma donation as a possible remedy for the virus after a call for help from the public.

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Premier Health Hematologist Jhansi Koduri posted on Facebook last week that a donor had been found, according to the post. ,

“We are forever grateful for all the volunteers that stepped forward to donate plasma and numerous others working in the background to make it happen,” Koduri wrote in the post.

The Chandra Family also released a statement:

“The Chandra family has been overwhelmed by the wonderful outreach from both those in the local community and those around the world who have rallied in their time of great need. They are extremely humbled and thankful for the tireless work of so many. We respectfully ask you refrain from contacting the family or caregivers directly. This will allow us to focus on providing our energy to support the recovery of Dr. Chandra. Thank you for your support, cooperation and understanding.”

The antibodies present in convalescent plasma may help critically ill patients fight the infection, according to the Community Blood Center.

The Community Blood Center’s public program launched on April 10 in a joint announcement with Premier Health, the first health system in the nation to enroll a recovered COVID-19 patient in this experimental therapeutic treatment using protocols established by the Mayo Clinic.

Several COVID-19 recovered patients have taken advantage of the plasma donation program since its launched and some have attributed Chandra’s case as a reason for their donations, the Community Blood Center said.

Steve Norris tested positive for the virus after going to the test site at UD Arena.

“It’s good to be able to do something with this,” Norris said. “We hear all about the negative aspects of COVID and there’s plenty of them. But those who have recovered might have something in their blood to help people who are really, really sick. No sense in waiting when there are people really sick and dying.”

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