Henry Ford Physician - First To Receive Convalescent Plasma At Henry Ford Health System - To Donate Plasma For Other Patients

LIVE MEDIA EVENT!

Hospitalist Scott Kaatz, MD, nearly died of COVID-19

WHAT: Henry Ford Health System Senior hospitalist Dr. Scott Kaatz spent the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic treating patients at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. After being hospitalized and intubated in the ICU with the virus himself, he became the hospital system's first recipient of convalescent plasma.

Now recovered and back to treating patients, Dr. Kaatz (rhymes with "gates") is helping others by donating plasma. Talk to him while he donates plasma LIVE from the Versiti collection center in Livonia.

Ford Health System has emerged as a leader in the study and use of convalescent plasma as a potential treatment for COVID-19 patients under and FDA emergency use authorization. To date, Henry Ford physicians have treated more than 150 patients across its hospitals with convalescent plasma and referred more than 50 volunteers to Versiti for plasma donation.

For more information, please go to www.HenryFord.com/donateCOVIDplasma.

     WHEN:          
     Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020 6 p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada)




     WHO:           
     Dr. Scott Kaatz, Henry Ford Hospital senior physician and COVID-19 survivor




     WHAT:                       This LIVE online event will begin at 6 p.m. with streaming b-roll for media use of Dr. Kaatz arriving and preparing
                                  to donate plasma. This will be followed at 6:20 p.m. by a LIVE news conference/interview while he makes his plasma
                                  donation.




     WHERE:         
     
              Online WebEx meeting number: 171 707 2339


                    
     
              Password: 4CaecJx7cQ4


                    
     
              
                https://hfhs.webex.com/hfhs/j.php?MTID=m2aa94319dac59a81ecf7d39aea6b382a




                    
     
              Join by video system


                    
     
              Dial 1717072339@hfhs.webex.com


                    
     
              You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.




                    
     
              Join by phone


                    
     
              +1-415-655-0003 United States TOLL


                    
     
              Access code: 171 707 2339




     MEDIA CONTACT: 
     Tammy Battaglia / Tammy.Battaglia@hfhs.org / 248-881-0809

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 22, 2020

Henry Ford Health System Physician Who Nearly Died from COVID-19
Donates Convalescent Plasma to Help Others

DETROIT - Henry Ford Health System's first patient to receive an infusion of convalescent plasma - a Henry Ford physician who nearly died in his own ICU - donated his own plasma today in an effort to help others.

Senior Staff Hospitalist Dr. Scott Kaatz, 63, cared for some of the earliest COVID-19 patients in metro Detroit before becoming ill with the virus. He donated plasma today at Versiti Blood Center of Michigan in Livonia.

"I came as close to death's door as you can get," said Dr. Kaatz, who had no underlying medical conditions when he ended up on a ventilator for three days at Henry Ford Hospital in April. "I hope my donation today helps someone else in the same spot - and leads others who have recovered to donate, too."

Beginning with his residency in 1984, Dr. Kaatz has worked at Henry Ford Health System for a total of 31 years. His job entails caring for patients on a general medical floor. And while there is no telling where he contracted COVID-19, he was in contact with some of the first positive COVID-19 patients.

On Sunday, March 29, Dr. Kaatz awoke with signs of illness: a slight fever and headache. Worried it could be COVID-19, he called his division head and said he wasn't coming in to work at the hospital in case he was contagious with the virus.

Within the next six days, his symptoms deteriorated. His fever never climbed high. But "crushing" body aches and "significant headache" accompanied the tell-tale dry cough. He made two trips to the Henry Ford Hospital emergency room in six days. But since chest x-rays and his oxygenation looked ok, he was sent home both times.

That changed April 4, when he was admitted with shortness of breath and worsening fatigue. April 5 began a devastating spiral in the ICU - leading to intubation and the ventilator on April 12. His hospital colleagues didn't know if Dr. Kaatz was going to pull through. His wife, a nurse with some medical issues who moved to Texas with their son when COVID hit, communicated with him via Facetime.

His colleagues used multiple therapies in addition to plasma, including steroids and Remdesivir. Things started to improve and, just under a week later, Dr. Kaatz woke up on Saturday, April 18. On Monday, April 20, he was extubated and taken off the ventilator, and he went home a couple of days later.

While there is no FDA-approved treatment or cure for COVID-19, including convalescent plasma, Dr. Kaatz hopes that others who have recovered from COVID-19 will consider donating. To date, Henry Ford physicians have treated more than 150 patients across its hospitals with convalescent plasma and referred more than 50 volunteers for plasma donation. Each donation can result in plasma doses for up to four patients.

"If you've had this disease, there are opportunities to potentially help others who are desperately sick," he said.

To volunteer to donate:

Donors who qualify either have a negative COVID-19 test at least 15 days after their positive test or have been symptom-free for at least 28 days after testing positive. Those who may qualify and would like to be evaluated for donation can email COVIDplasma@hfhs.org or visit www.HenryFord.com/donateCOVIDplasma for more information. For more information about Versiti Blood Center, please visit www.versiti.org/michigan.

**Video and photo of Dr. Kaatz is available for use and download at:
https://hfhs3.webdamdb.com/bp/#/folder/7861181/

Credit: Photo(s) and video courtesy of Henry Ford Health System

About Henry Ford Health System:

Under the leadership of President and CEO Wright L. Lassiter, III, Henry Ford Health System is a $6 billion integrated health system comprised of six hospitals, a health plan, and 250+ sites including medical centers, walk-in and urgent care clinics, pharmacy, eye care facilities and other healthcare retail.

Established in 1915 by auto industry pioneer Henry Ford, the health system now has 32,000 employees and remains home to the 1,900-member Henry Ford Medical Group, one of the nation's oldest physician groups. An additional 2,200 physicians are also affiliated with the health system through the Henry Ford Physician Network.

Henry Ford is also one of the region's major academic medical centers, receiving more than $90 million in annual research funding and remaining Michigan's fourth largest NIH-funded institution. Also an active participant in medical education and training, the health system has trained nearly 40% of physicians currently practicing in the state and also provides education and training for other health professionals including nurses, pharmacists, radiology and respiratory technicians.

Media contact: Tammy Battaglia / Tbattag1@hfhs.org / 248-881-0809

/PRNewswire -- Sept. 22, 2020 /

SOURCE Henry Ford Health System