Cerebral malaria treated with partial exchange transfusion

ABSTRACT

We report a 25-year-old non-immune male with cerebral malaria, successfully treated with quinine infusion and a 8 units exchange transfusion. The plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia increaswd from 8% to 15% despite the quinine infusions and scanning electron microscopy showed at the same time persistent morphological changes in the parasitised erythrocytes. Exchange transfusion was associated with a rapid decrease in the parasitaemia to < 5% with improvement of the clinical condition and haematological parameters. This supports the recommendations of exchange transfusion in cerebral malaria