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What is it used for? of Plasma products

Fresh frozen plasma has a variety of uses. It can be given whole, or is processed to provide specific parts for certain purposes. 

  • Whole plasma is only used when someone is bleeding and has lost a lot of blood, for example after childbirth or during cardiac (heart) surgery. It helps the blood to clot and decreases bleeding.
  • Processed plasma is also used to help produce stronger antibodies against diseases like tetanus, hepatitis, chickenpox and rabies. 
  • The albumin contained in plasma is extremely beneficial for burn victims.
  • Plasma is also the source of anti-D, a substance that is given to Rhesus negative pregnant women carrying Rhesus positive babies, to prevent potentially fatal complications. (The Rhesus factor is part of your blood group: everyone is either positive or negative).

There are several different types of clotting factor present in plasma. Clotting factors are proteins in the plasma that work with platelets (clotting particles) to help blood clot. Sometimes, people are missing a certain type of clotting factor, and this can be separated out to treat them. For example:

  • Factor VIII is used in the treatment of type A haemophilia, the most common type. Haemophilia is when blood does not clot properly, and this type of haemophilia is caused by a lack of factor VIII. 
  • Factor IX is used for treating sufferers of Christmas disease, which is a rarer and more serious form of haemophilia (type B).