BLOOD PLASMA

PLASMA COMPONENTS
DR.MAHESWARI JAIKUMAR
maheswarijaikumar2103@gmail.com

BLOOD PLASMA
• Blood plasma is a yellowish
liquid component of blood that
holds the blood cells in
whole blood in suspension.

• PLASMA is the liquid part of
the blood that carries cells and
proteins throughout the body. It
makes up about 55% of the
body's total blood volume. Blood
serum is blood plasma without
clotting factors

• It is the intravascular fluid part
of extracellular fluid (all body fluid
outside cells). It is mostly water (up to
95% by volume), and contains important
dissolved proteins (6–8%) (e.g., serum
albumins, globulins,
and fibrinogen), glucose, clotting
factors, electrolytes (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+,
HCO3
−, Cl−, etc.), hormones, carbon
dioxide (plasma being the main medium
for excretory product transportation),
and oxygen.

• Blood plasma plays a vital role in
an intravascular osmotic effect
that keeps electrolyte
concentration balanced and
protects the body
from infection and other blood
disorders.

• Blood plasma is separated from the
blood by spinning a tube of fresh
blood containing an anticoagulant in
a centrifuge until the blood cells fall
to the bottom of the tube.
• The blood plasma is then poured or
drawn off. Blood plasma has a
density of approximately
1025 kg/m3, or 1.025 g/ml.

Blood plasma volume may be
expanded by or drained
to extravascular fluid when there
are changes in Starling forces across
capillary walls.
• For example, when blood
pressure drops in circulatory shock,
Starling forces drive fluid into the
interstitium, causing third spacing.

• Standing still for a prolonged period
will cause an increase
in transcapillary hydrostatic
pressure.
• As a result, approximately 12% of
blood plasma volume will cross into
the extravascular compartment.

• This causes an increase
in hematocrit, serum total
protein, blood viscosity and, as a
result of increased concentration
of coagulation factors, it
causes orthostatic
hypercoagulability.

PLASMA PROTEINS
Albumins are the most common
plasma proteins and they are
responsible for maintaining the
osmotic pressure of blood. Without
albumins, the consistency of blood
would be closer to that of water.

• The increased viscosity of blood
prevents fluid from entering the
bloodstream from outside the
capillaries.

• The second most common type
of protein in the blood plasma
are globulins.
• Important globulins include
immunoglobins which are
important for the immune
system and transport hormones
and other compounds around
the body.

• Fibrinogen proteins make up
most of the remaining proteins
in the blood. Fibrinogens are
responsible for clotting blood to
help prevent blood loss.

COLOUR OF PLASMA
Plasma is normally yellow due
to bilirubin, carotenoids, hemoglobin
and transferrin.
• In abnormal cases, plasma can have
varying shades of orange, green or
brown. Green color can be due
to ceruloplasmin or sulfhemoglobin.

• Plasma is normally relatively
transparent, but sometimes it can
be opaque.
• Opaqueness is typically due to
elevated content of lipids
like cholesterol and triglycerides (se
e hyperlipidemia).

PLASMA Vs SERUM
• Blood plasma and blood serum are
often used in blood tests. Some tests
can be done only on plasma and some
only on serum.
• In addition, some tests have to be done
with whole blood, such as the
determination of the amount of blood
cells in blood via flow cytometry.

PLASMA DONATION
Plasma as a blood
product prepared from blood
donations is used in blood
transfusions, typically as fresh
frozen plasma (FFP) or Plasma
Frozen within 24 hours after
phlebotomy (PF24).

• When donating whole blood
or packed red blood cell (PRBC)
transfusions, O- is the most
desirable and is considered a
"universal donor," since it has
neither A nor B antigens and can
be safely transfused to most
recipients.

• Type AB+ is the "universal recipient"
type for PRBC donations. However,
for plasma the situation is
somewhat reversed.
• Blood donation centers will
sometimes collect only plasma from
AB donors through apheresis, as
their plasma does not contain the
antibodies that may cross react with
recipient antigens

USE OF PLASMA
Plasma is commonly given to
patients in trauma, burn and
patients in shock, as well as people
with severe liver disease or multiple
clotting factor deficiencies.
It helps boost the
patient's blood volume, which can
prevent shock, and helps
with blood clotting.

WHAT IS PLASMA MADE OF
• It makes up 55% of the blood's volume.
The components of plasma are water
92%, dissolved protein 8%, glucose,
amino acids, vitamins, minerals, urea,
uric acid, CO2, hormones, antibodies.
• Plasma carries dissolved materials such
as glucose, amino acids, minerals,
vitamins, salts, carbon dioxide, urea,
and hormones.

FUNCTION OF PLASMA
• Plasma carries water, salts and
enzymes. The main role of plasma is
to take nutrients, hormones,
and proteins to the parts of the
body that need it. Cells also put
their waste products into the
plasma

BLOOD PLASMA

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BLOOD PLASMA