WHOLE BLOOD

 “Whole blood” is simply the blood that flows through your veins. It contains red cells, white cells, and platelets, suspended in plasma.

Whole blood is simply our blood as it flows in our bodies – with none of its components separated or removed. In medicine, whole blood is an uncommon type of transfusion.

Whole blood (WB) is human blood from a standard blood donation.[1] It is used in the treatment of massive bleeding, in exchange transfusion, and when people donate blood to themselves

Whole blood is made up of red blood cellswhite blood cellsplatelets, and blood plasma.[3] It is best within a day of collection; however, can be used for up to three weeks. The blood is typically combined with an anticoagulant and preservative during the collection process.

 

In modern medical treatments, patients may receive a pint of whole blood or just the specific components of the blood that are needed to treat their particular condition. This approach to treatment, referred to as blood component therapy, allows several patients to benefit from one pint of donated whole blood.

The transfusable components that can be derived from donated blood are red cells, platelets, plasma, cryoprecipitated AHF (cryo), and granulocytes. An additional component, white cells, is often removed from donated blood before transfusion.

 

blood directly from the body, from which none of the components have been removed, used in transfusions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red blood cells (RBCs), or erythrocytes, give blood its distinctive color. Produced in our bone marrow, they carry oxygen from our lungs to the rest of our bodies and take carbon dioxide back to our lungs to be exhaled. There are about one billion red blood cells in two to three drops of blood.

 

Platelets, or thrombocytes, are small, colorless cell fragments in our blood whose main function is to stick to the lining of blood vessels and help stop or prevent bleeding. Platelets are made in our bone marrow.

  • Color: Colorless

Plasma is the liquid portion of blood; our red and white blood cells and platelets are suspended in plasma as they move throughout our bodies.

  • Color: Yellowish
  • Shelf Life: 1 year

·         Blood plasma serves several important functions in our bodies, despite being about 92% water. (Plasma also contains 7% vital proteins such as albumin, gamma globulin and anti-hemophilic factor, and 1% mineral salts, sugars, fats, hormones and vitamins.) It helps us maintain a satisfactory blood pressure and volume, and supplies critical proteins for blood clotting and immunity. It also carries electrolytes such as sodium and potassium to our muscles and helps to maintain a proper pH (acid-base) balance in the body, which is critical to cell function.

·         Plasma is obtained by separating the liquid portion of blood from the cells. Plasma is frozen within 24 hours of being donated in order to preserve the valuable clotting factors. It is then stored for up to one year, and thawed when needed.

·         Plasma is commonly transfused to trauma, burn and shock patients, as well as people with severe liver disease or multiple clotting factor deficiencies.

Cryoprecipitated Antihemophilic Factor (Cryo) is a portion of plasma rich in clotting factors, including Factor VIII and fibrinogen. These clotting factors reduce blood loss by helping to slow or stop bleeding due to illness or injury.

  • Color: White
  • Shelf Life: 1 year
  • Storage Conditions: Frozen
  • Key Uses: Hemophilia, Von Willebrand disease (most common hereditary coagulation abnormality), Rich source of Fibrinogen

 

Cryo is prepared by freezing and then slowly thawing frozen plasma. The precipitate is collected and then pooled with contributions from other donors to reach a sufficient volume for transfusion. It can be stored, frozen, for up to a year.

Cryo is used to prevent or control bleeding in people whose own blood does not clot properly.  This includes patients with hereditary conditions such as hemophilia and von Willebrands disease. Cryo is also a source of fibrinogen for patients who cannot produce the necessary amount of this important clotting protein on their own.

White blood cells, or leukocytes, are one of the body’s defenses against disease: some destroy bacteria and others create antibodies against bacteria and viruses or fight malignant disease. But while our own white cells help us stay healthy, they can be dangerous to someone who receives donated blood. That’s because leukocytes may carry viruses that cause immune suppression and release toxic substances in the recipient. To avoid these negative reactions, leukocytes are often removed from transfusable blood components, a process called leuko-reduction.

Granulocytes

That doesn’t necessarily mean your white cells can’t be used to help patients in need! Granulocytes are a type of white cell that protects against infection by surrounding and destroying invading bacteria and viruses. They can be used to treat infections that don’t respond to antibiotics. Granulocytes are collected by an automated process called apheresis and must be transfused into the patient within 24 hours of being donated.

Donating Granulocytes

Since granulocyte must be used within 24 hours, donations are taken on an as-needed basis. To be eligible to donate granulocytes, you must have donated platelets through the Red Cross within 30 days.

 

 Blood from which no constituent, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, or platelets, has been removed. Whole blood is commonly obtained through blood donation and can be transfused directly or broken down into blood components that can be transfused separately.


  • Whole Blood - Blood flowing freely through the human body. If it is outside the body and with an anticoagulant and not separated into the liquid portion & the cells, it is still called whole blood. Example: a CBC requires EDTA whole blood.
      
    • Blood is a lifesaving liquid organ. Whole blood is a mixture of cellular elements, colloids and crystalloids. As different blood components have different relative density, sediment rate and size they can be separated when centrifugal force is applied.











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