What Exactly Are Plasma Transfusions?
Plasma transfusions have become very popular in recent years. What is plasma? It is the clear, slightly yellowish liquid that contains no blood cells. Plasma is almost 55% of the total volume of our blood.
The other part consists of cells such as red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. This liquid contains many proteins, such as albumin, which perform very important functions in the body.
Although many people do not realize it, plasma transfusions can treat many pathologies, such as bleeding or burns. In this article we want to explain what this procedure consists of and why it is so important to donate blood.
What is blood plasma?
As we have already mentioned, plasma is the liquid part of the blood that combines with the blood cells, both red and white, and the platelets. When the two parts are separated, the plasma appears as a transparent liquid.
Plasma consists of almost 90% water. However, the rest of the composition is a mixture of proteins and mineral salts that are essential for the proper functioning of the body.
First, it contains immunoglobulins, the part of the immune system that helps protect you against infections. There is also albumin, a molecule that is responsible for the transport of certain substances to the tissues.
Similarly , it is important to note that plasma also contains clotting factors. This is what helps the blood to clot when there is bleeding somewhere in the body.
How do plasma transfusions work?
Plasma transfusions are actually very simple procedures. First, there must be a donor. If you want to donate, it must be an altruistic and selfless act. The nurse will draw the blood from the donor, with the process usually taking between 30 and 45 minutes.
After the blood is drawn, the blood cells are separated from the plasma. Then they preserve and store the liquid. When it comes to donations with only plasma, this is called plasmapheresis.
The latter differs from donating blood in that the extracted cells are reintroduced and they retain only the plasma. In addition, the recovery is shorter and you can donate every fifteen days.
It is also important to note that in order to make a plasma donation, the donor and recipient must have the same blood type. This is because there are proteins in plasma that can cause the body to reject the donated blood.
What is it for?
There are many reasons for doctors to perform a plasma transfusion. For example, if someone has suffered burns or a serious accident, plasma transfusion helps the blood to regain the lost volume.
In addition, since plasma has clotting factors, this technique makes it possible to stop bleeding faster. In fact, it is especially useful in people who suffer from diseases such as hemophilia caused by the lack of any of these factors.
It is also used in liver transplants. However, techniques have been developed where instead of putting in all the plasma, they use only the molecules they need. They are called blood products (Spanish link).
For example, for someone with hemophilia , the clotting factor that someone needs may already be transfused. Although plasma transfusion is a safe technique, it has more drawbacks than just transferring blood products.
What we need to keep in mind is that plasma transfusions are simple procedures that can save many lives. It is therefore important that we are all aware that we can help many people by making a simple donation.
