How does it work? of Plasma products

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Fresh frozen plasma is prepared from the liquid that floats on the surface after separation of one donation of whole blood. Plasma is frozen as soon as possible, not more than 8 hours after collection. Most plasma products are manufactured from pools of plasma, made up of many thousands of blood donations.

Sometimes plasma is obtained through a process called plasmapheresis, or plasma exchange. This is when plasma is separated out but then the rest of the blood is returned to the donor.

The donated plasma is then filtered to obtain the specific plasma agents required.

All blood donors have to adhere to a strict set of guidelines about their health history, before they can donate blood. In addition, blood products are treated to remove viruses that may be carried in the liquid.

Pathogen reduce plasmas (PRP) may be used as an alternative to fresh frozen plasma. It is sourced from the USA and other countries where there is a low incidence of vCJD.

Since the end of 1999, all plasma used as a source for plasma products in the UK has been sourced from the US. This is because of a small, unconfirmed risk that variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) may be transmitted in certain types of plasma products. Patients who have received certain plasma products before the end of 1999 have therefore been contacted to inform them of this risk. If you are worried, you should telephone the NHS Direct vCJD and Plasma Products advice line, on 0845 850 9850.

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