Blood is a life-giving liquid that is made up of cellular and liquid components. One of those components, plasma, is useful for many medical treatments. Anyone from burn victims to surgical patients benefit from plasma and products derived , such as antibodies and clotting factors.
Blood
Blood has several components to it. Cellular components include red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Liquid components of blood include proteins and water. If the blood is allowed to clot, the liquid component is called serum. Serum does not have any clotting proteins in it. If anticoagulants are added to the blood, the liquid component is called plasma. Plasma includes all clotting factors and other proteins not used in the clotting process.
Burn Victims
Plasma is used to replace lost fluids and other blood proteins in burn victims. As the body tries to counteract the effects of burns, and as the skin loses its ability to contain body fluids, the body transfers blood fluids out of circulation and into the tissues. This is done to replace lost fluids. The result of this process is reduced blood pressure, which is critical to deliver blood to peripheral tissues. Plasma from donors is given to replace blood volume and blood pressure.
Antibodies
After exposure to infectious organisms, white blood cells make antibodies as part of the immune response. The antibodies are proteins which free-float in plasma and are aimed at different organisms, depending on the exposure of the white blood cells. Certain conditions and medications may cause a depressed immune response. Antibodies are filtered out of donor plasma for use on those patients with immune-compromising conditions or taking those medications.
Clotting Factors
Since plasma is the liquid portion of blood with all the clotting factors included, people with clotting factor deficiencies receive replacement clotting factors harvested from plasma. Patients who overdose on their blood-thinning medication may also benefit from a plasma transfusion to counteract the effects of the medication. Also, certain surgical "glues" used in place of traditional sutures are being used to repair lacerations.
Donating Plasma
Volunteer donors who wish to donate plasma can do so through their local blood bank. Donation takes no more than an hour and can be done every 28 days. During plasma donation, the cellular components of blood are separated from the plasma and re-infused into the donor. Donors who give a whole unit of blood are also donating plasma, though plasma-only donations yield more plasma per donation than traditional blood donation.
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