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I Need To Know About Fresh Frozen Plasma: Blood

Plasma is the pale yellow liquid part of blood that makes up around 55% of our blood volume. It acts as a carrier for red blood cells and contains proteins and substances needed to maintain blood flow, fight infections, and remove waste. Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is plasma that has been separated from whole blood within 18 hours and frozen to allow a 12 month shelf life. FFP is often used by trauma and surgery patients requiring massive transfusions to replace clotting factors, or by patients taking blood thinners to rapidly reverse their effects. The blood group of the FFP must match the recipient to avoid any antibodies in the plasma attacking their red blood cells.

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Humberto Omares
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121 views1 page

I Need To Know About Fresh Frozen Plasma: Blood

Plasma is the pale yellow liquid part of blood that makes up around 55% of our blood volume. It acts as a carrier for red blood cells and contains proteins and substances needed to maintain blood flow, fight infections, and remove waste. Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is plasma that has been separated from whole blood within 18 hours and frozen to allow a 12 month shelf life. FFP is often used by trauma and surgery patients requiring massive transfusions to replace clotting factors, or by patients taking blood thinners to rapidly reverse their effects. The blood group of the FFP must match the recipient to avoid any antibodies in the plasma attacking their red blood cells.

Uploaded by

Humberto Omares
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

FRESH FROZEN PLASMA


Transfusion Fact Sheet Volume 1, Number 3
By Sue Heatley

What is plasma?
Blood is composed of liquid and cells. Plasma is the pale yellow
liquid part of blood. It makes up about 55 percent of the blood
and is mostly made up of water (about 92 percent).
What does plasma do?
Plasma acts as a carrier for red blood cells as well as proteins
and other substances our body needs to keep our blood flowing
correctly, to send important signals throughout our body, fight
infection and clear out toxic waste.
What is Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP)?
FFP is the blood component made by the Blood Service once
all blood cells are removed from a whole blood collection. If
plasma is separated from the whole blood collection within 18
hours it is called ‘fresh’. To allow a 12 month shelf-life the ‘Fresh
Plasma’ is frozen, hence ‘Fresh Frozen Plasma’.
How is FFP used? Group AB FFP
FFP is often used by trauma patients who require massive Group AB plasma does not contain any Anti-A or Anti-B.
transfusion to replace clotting factors. FFP is also used by AB FFP can be given to patients who are group AB, A, B or O.
patients on blood thinning medications (eg warfarin) needing Group AB donors are called ‘universal plasma donors’.
to reverse the medication effects rapidly. FFP is often used to
replace missing plasma proteins or other substances.
Why is AB FFP so important?
AB FFP can safely be given to any patient. This is very
Does blood group matter? important in an emergency when there isn’t time to get a full
Plasma contains anti-A and Anti-B antibodies depending upon blood type from the patient.
blood group (see the fact sheet I Need to Know About ABO,
How many donors are group AB?
Vol 1, No 1). Patients should only receive FFP which does not
About 3 percent of the Australian population are blood group
contain antibody which could attack their own red cells.
AB, however to meet clinical needs, 8 percent of the FFP the
Group O FFP Blood Service makes is AB. It is essential to manage our blood
Group O people have both Anti-A and Anti-B so group O FFP stocks with this in mind.
can ONLY be given to group O patients. If group O FFP were
given to a group A patient, the Anti-A will attack the patient’s
group A red cells.
Group A or B FFP
BLOOD FACT
Group A plasma contains anti-B. A FFP can only be given to Von Willebrand Factor is our largest plasma protein.
patients who are group A or O ie only patients who do not have It can stretch up to 100μm long – more than 10
group B red cells. Group B plasma contains anti-A. B FFP and times a red cell diameter.
can only be given to patients who are group B or O.

The information contained in this fact sheet is not intended to be medical or professional advice. The disclaimer found at [Link] applies to this fact sheet.
These fact sheets have been created for people without a health or science background.

[Link]

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