Plasma also helps remove waste products from the body, by transporting them to the liver or kidneys, for example.
Plasma is mainly made up of water (around 92 per cent), helping to maintain our circulation: it fills up our blood vessels by flowing continuously-without it, a blood vessel would just collapse like a sad, floppy hose. Image source: Raphael Photoch / Unsplash. It’s the liquid portion which transports these cells, as well as proteins, hormones and vitamins, around your body. That’s where the yellow stuff-plasma-comes in. A red cell in a vein on its own is a bit like a kid on a waterslide without water. Important as they are, red cells, white cells and platelets aren’t going to do you much good if they can’t get from A to B. And platelets are small cell fragments which help your blood to clot by clumping together at the place of bleeding. White blood cells are mainly responsible for defending the body against infection. The blood of peanut worms contains haemerythrin which turns violet-pink when oxygenated). It’s an oxygen-transporting protein which contains copper and, when combined with oxygen, gives the blood a blue colour. (Just in case you’re wondering, octopus blood contains haemocyanin rather than haemoglobin. They get their colour from an iron-containing protein called haemoglobin which, when combined with oxygen, is bright red. It’s these cells that make our blood red. The main job of red blood cells is to carry oxygen around the body. Keri Anglin (pictured) received 22 units of blood, 16 units of fresh frozen plasma, two units of cryoprecipitate and two units of platelets, after a massive bleed while giving birth.Above: Human blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma. Plasma transfusions can help the blood to clot and also replace dangerous substances in the patient’s own plasma.įresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate can be used to help many types of patients – for example people with massive blood loss, liver failure, or rare diseases.
How fresh frozen plasma saves livesįresh frozen plasma can be issued to hospitals or further processed into a more concentrated component that is rich in certain clotting factors called cryoprecipitate.
It is not clearly understood why this happens, but antibodies are more likely to develop after pregnancy.įor this reason, it is safest for patients if we only produce fresh frozen plasma products from male donors. Some people do not develop antibodies while others do. This component is known as fresh frozen plasma, or FFP.įresh frozen plasma from female donors is not currently used because it is more likely to contain antibodies that could cause a serious reaction when given to a patient. This plasma is frozen to preserve its quality and function. from our male A and AB type platelet donors, while they’re donating platelets.by separating it out from blood donations.There are two ways we collect plasma for transfusions: This way of collecting plasma started in August 2021. In time, around 1 million blood donations a year will have this extra, lifesaving use.įind out more about plasma from blood donations Plasma for transfusions Plasma is separated and collected from blood donors after donating whole blood the usual way. People from all blood groups can donate and we are looking for new donors.įind out about becoming a plasma donor Whole blood donors These donors have their plasma separated from the rest of their blood while they donate using a process called apheresis. We collect plasma to use in medicines from plasma donors and whole blood donors. They have weakened immune systems, cancers and other diseases. Plasma is used to make medicines called immunoglobulins. Over 17,000 people in England rely on these medicines. Once separated from blood cells, plasma can be made into medicines or used in transfusions. It contains over 700 proteins and other substances. It is a clear, straw-coloured liquid, which carries platelets, red and white blood cells. Plasma is the largest single component of blood, and makes up about 55% of total blood volume.
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