N.J. Patients Who Got Experimental Plasma Treatment Making ‘Remarkable’ Recovery, Hospital Says

The first two coronavirus patients in New Jersey to receive an experimental plasma treatment are both making “remarkable” recoveries, according to the hospital system treating them.

At left, Marisa Leuzzi of Pennsylvania donates the convalescent plasma that was transfused to her aunt, Renee Bannister, who is battling coronavirus. At right, Bannister and Leuzzi in the early 1990s.
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Virtua Health said both Renee Bannister, a 63-year-old teacher from Gloucester County, and Andy Fei, a 61-year-old opera singer from Mount Laurel, have been taken off of ventilators and moved out of intensive care beds at Virtua Voorhees Hospital.

“We are incredibly excited about these remarkable recoveries,” Dr. Eric Sztejman, a medical director for Virtua Health, said in a release Tuesday. “We performed the transfusions just days after the clinical trial was announced, so it is gratifying to be among the first in nation to explore this promising approach to combating the coronavirus.”

Virtua is part of a group of health care organizations and companies, led by the Mayo Clinic, that is evaluating the safety and efficacy of the treatment. So far, approximately 600 patients nationwide have received a transfusion of convalescent plasma, donated by someone who has recently recovered from coronavirus and thus has protective antibodies, with a goal of helping the sick person’s immune system fight off the virus.

It remains to be seen if the convalescent plasma will be an effective weapon against the coronavirus, which still has no cure or vaccine. But similar methods have been used to treat infectious disease dating back a hundred years, including measles and the 1918 influenza pandemic.

Bannister was the first state resident to receive the transfusion after her niece, Marisa Leuzzi of Downington, Pennsylvania, donated the necessary plasma, Virtua said.

Her recovery “seemed near impossible” a few weeks ago, Virtua said. She was admitted to Virtua Voorhees Hospital March 22, intubated two days later and continued to worsen despite various medical treatments, the health system said.

Dr. Lukasz Polisiakiewicz led the team at Virtua looking into the plasma treatment, and got approval from the FDA to try it a day after the treatment was authorized, Virtua said. Doctors worked with the American Red Cross to extract the plasma, which Bannister received April 3.

“Within hours of the plasma donation, Renee’s oxygen flow improved. Within five days, her vital signs had returned to normal ranges. Eleven days after the transfusion, the Virtua team removed Renee from the ventilator,” Virtua said in the release.

Bannister is now out of the ICU, enjoying FaceTiming with her husband and preparing to continue her recovery at a rehabilitation center before going home, hopefully in May, the health system said.

“We are relieved and overjoyed,” Greg Bannister, Renee’s husband, said in the release.

Andy Fei, left, is pictured at a birthday celebration with his family, left to right, sons Patrick and Eric, and wife Charlotte Fei. He is recovering from the coronavirus after receiving a convalescent plasma transfusion at Virtua Voorhees Hospital.​

On April 5, Fei also received plasma from Bannister’s niece. He was intubated — as he had been for six days.

“Each day when we spoke to the nurses and doctors, we heard tiny indications that his condition was improving,” Fei’s son, Patrick Fei, said in the statement. “Sometimes we could even hear Luciano Pavarotti [recordings] in the background, which we had asked them to play for him. Pavarotti is dad’s favorite.”

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