Blood plasma

Blood plasma is the liquid component of blood, in which the blood cells are suspended. It makes up about 55% of total blood volume. Blood plasma is prepared simply by spinning a tube of fresh blood in a centrifuge until the blood cells fall to the bottom of the tube. The blood plasma is then poured or drawn off.

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Blood serum is blood plasma without fibrinogen or the other clotting factors.

Plasmapheresis is a type of medical therapy involving separation of plasma from red blood cells.

Fresh frozen plasma

Main article: Fresh frozen plasma

"Fresh frozen plasma" (FFP) is prepared from a single unit of blood or by apheresis, drawn from a single person. It is frozen after collection and can be stored for one year from date of collection. FFP contains all of the coagulation factors and proteins present in the original unit of blood. It is used to treat coagulopathies from warfarin overdose, liver disease, or dilutional coagulopathy. FFP which has been stored more than the standard length of time is sometimes re-classified as simply "frozen plasma," which is identical except that the coagulation factors are no longer considered completely viable.^[1]

Plasma which has been used as a source of Cryoprecipitate (Plasma, Cryoprecipitate Reduced) is more limited, but still acceptable for many uses. The term "FFP" is sometimes used informally to mean any frozen transfusable plasma product, including products which do not meet the standards for FFP.

It is also used to treat TTP (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura) because it is not possible to treat this disease by transfusing platelets.

Dried plasma

  "Dried plasma" was developed and first used during WWII. Prior to the United States' involvement in the war, liquid plasma and "whole blood" were used. The "Blood for Britain" program during the early 1940s was quite successful (and popular in the United States) based in part on Dr. Charles Drew's contribution. A large project was begun in August of the year 1940 to collect blood in New York City hospitals for the export of plasma to Britain. Dr. Drew was appointed medical supervisor of the "Plasma for Britain" project. His notable contribution at this time was to transform the test tube methods of many blood researchers, including himself, into the first successful mass production techniques.

Nonetheless, the decision was made to develop a dried plasma package for the armed forces as it would reduce breakage and make the transportation, packaging, and storage much simpler. ^[2]

The resulting Army-Navy dried plasma package came in two tin cans containing 400 cc bottles. One bottle contained enough distilled water to completely reconstitute the dried plasma contained within the other bottle. In about three minutes, the plasma would be ready to use and could stay fresh for around four hours. ^[3]

Following the "Plasma for Britain" project, Dr. Drew was named director of the Red Cross blood bank and assistant director of the National Research Council, in charge of blood collection for the United States Army and Navy. Dr. Drew argued against the armed forces directive that blood/plasma was to be separated by the race of the donor. Dr. Drew argued that there was no racial difference in human blood and that the policy would lead to needless deaths as soldiers and sailors were required to wait for "same race" blood.^{[citation needed]}

By the end of the war the American Red Cross had provided enough blood for over six million plasma packages. Most of the surplus plasma was returned to the United States for civilian use. Serum albumin replaced dried plasma for combat use during the Korean War.^[4]

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