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 cells, white blood cells, platelets, 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 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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