Plasma transfusions
What is plasma?
About 55% of blood is plasma, which is the pale-yellow liquid part of blood.
It’s stored frozen, then thawed when a patient needs it. That’s why we call it ‘fresh frozen plasma’, but we usually just say ‘plasma’.
It’s 92% water and is what’s left when all the blood cells are removed from whole blood.
What does plasma do in the body?
Plasma is the fluid that carries red cells, white cells, platelets, proteins and nutrients through the blood vessels in the body.
It contains:
- molecules called antibodies to fight infections
- clotting proteins to help stop bleeding, and
- albumin, an important protein which stops water leaking out of the blood vessels and protects nutrients, hormones and some medications.
Why might I need a plasma transfusion?
If you're missing or have low levels of blood proteins due to a medical condition like liver disease, heart surgery, or severe blood loss, a plasma transfusion may help.
Are there options other than a plasma transfusion?
Sometimes. There are a number of alternative fluids and individual antibodies, albumin and clotting proteins that can be used instead for some patients.
Your healthcare team will recommend these alternatives whenever possible, but they’ll recommend fresh frozen plasma when there are no other options, or if you need more than one plasma protein.