Plasma transfusions have gained great popularity in recent years. What is plasma? Plasma is a clear, slightly yellowish liquid containing no blood cells and accounts for almost 55% of the total blood volume. The rest is made up of cells such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. This liquid contains many proteins, such as albumin, that perform very important functions in the body.

Although not many people realize it, plasma transfusions can heal many pathologies such as bleeding or burns. In this article, let’s look at what plasma transfusion consists of and why blood donation is so important.

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What is plasma?

types of plasma

As mentioned earlier, plasma is a liquid part of blood that binds to red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. When the two parts are separated, the plasma looks like a clear liquid.

Almost 90% of plasma is made up of water. However, the remaining components are a mixture of proteins and minerals that are essential for the body to function properly.

First of all, it contains immunoglobulins, which are part of the immune system that helps protect the body from infection. There is also albumin, a molecule responsible for transporting certain substances into issues likewise, it is important to note that plasma contains clotting factors. This helps the blood start to clot when there is bleeding somewhere in the body.

How does plasma transfusion work?

Plasma transfusion is actually a very simple procedure. First of all, there must be a donor. If you want to donate plasma, you have to do it with an altruistic and selfless heart. The donor’s blood is extracted by a nurse, which typically takes 30 to 45 minutes.

After blood is collected, the blood cells are separated from the plasma. Then the liquid is preserved and stored. A case in which only plasma is donated is called plasma exchange.

Plasma exchange is different from blood donation in that the extracted cells are re-injected and only plasma is left. Also, the recovery is shorter and you can donate every 15 days.

It is important to note that in order to donate plasma, the donor and recipient must have the same blood type. This is because plasma contains proteins that the body can reject donated blood.

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Where will plasma be used?

There are a variety of reasons for doctors to do plasma transfusions. Plasma transfusions can help restore lost blood volume, for example when someone has been burned or has a serious accident.

Plasma also has clotting factors, so using this technique can stop bleeding more quickly. In fact, it is especially helpful for people suffering from diseases such as haemophilia caused by a lack of clotting factors.

It is also used for liver transplantation. However, instead of injecting all of the plasma, technology has been developed that uses only the necessary molecules. This is called a blood product.

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For example, in patients with haemophilia, the necessary clotting factors can already be transfused. Plasma transfusion is a safe technique, but it has more drawbacks than using blood products.

What we must be aware of is that plasma transfusions are a simple procedure that can save many lives. So it’s important for everyone to know that a simple donation can help many people.