Plasma Products
Plasma is 55% of blood. Plasma is the liquid portion of blood that remains after red blood cells, white blood cells & platelets are removed. Once the above cells are taken out, you are left with straw colored liquid which is mostly water but the rest of it is made up of other elements in solution that are equally vital for life. Plasma transports antibodies, proteins, hormones & enzymes
Plasma products are derived by spinning the blood at high speed in a centrifuge and after the solids are forced to the bottom of the container the plasma is collected off the top. Plasma is used as raw material to obtain plasma-derived products. Plasma is separated into its various constituents in a process called fractionation. The isolated proteins derived from this process are - clotting factors, albumin & immunoglobulins.
The proteins derived are used to treat
- Haemophilia
- Von Willebrand Disease
- Immunodeficiences
- Autoimmune diseases
It can take 1000+ donations to derive 1-year therapy for 1 patient & for some patients, plasma products are the only treatment they can rely on. Plasma products doesn’t only save lives, it enhances the quality of life.