Long-term maintenance of immunity in patients with common variable immune deficiency by plasma transfusion.

The AIDS crisis and the fear of blood product contamination stimulated the development of a designated plasma collection and transfusion for patients with common variable immune deficiency. Four patients have been maintained over 1 year; 5 years and 10 months; 8 years and 7 months; and 12 years. A new crisis affecting commercial IgG manufacturing, owing to recalls, has made the life saving product scarce, threatening patients' health maintenance. Our experience over a long time has demonstrated that plasma transfusion is equivalent to management with commercial IgG. The program of product collection and patient management includes testing the collected plasma for IgG content, selecting ABO compatible plasma, and following patients with IgG trough levels, prior to each transfusion, to assure sufficient immune globulin administration.