Blood Components
Blood Bags
 Single blood bag:
 Whole blood
 Double bags:
 Packed red cells
 plasma
 Triple bags:
 Backed cells
 Plasma
 platelets
 Quarterly bags:
 Backed cells
 Plasma
 Platelets
 Plasma factors
Whole Blood (WB)
• Collected directly from donors into blood
transfusion bag containing anticoagulant
• 500 ml transfusion bag is used (contains
63 ml of anticoagulant + 450 ml blood)
Anticoagulant ratio is 1.4 ml:10ml blood (63ml / 450ml)
Whole Blood (WB)
• Consists of RBCs, WBCs, platelets and
plasma (with anticoagulant).
• 1 unit increases Hb 1 g/dl & Hct 3%
• When is it used?
– Patients who are actively bleeding and lost
> 25% of blood volume.
– Exchange transfusion
Blood Components
 Separating WB into components of blood is
necessary to avoid wasting of units.
 Goals
• Decrease harmful effects of blood transfusion.
• Giving patients specific component needed.
• Allow a longer survival for components.
• More than one patient will use the unit.
What are the Blood Components?
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Packed Red Blood Cells (PRBCs)
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Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP)
►
Platelet Concentrates (PC)
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Cryoprecipitate (CRYO)
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Leukoreduced Red Blood Cells
Centrifugation Types
There are two types of centrifugation
• Light/soft spin; (2000 rpm- 20ºC)
• Heavy spin; (3500 rpm- 20ºC)
Centrifuged blood
Plasma
Buffy Coat (WBCs & Platelets)
Red Blood Cells
PRBCs
How to prepare (PRBCs)?
 RBCs have higher specific gravity than
plasma, it moves to lower portion of the bag
by centrifugation.
 Whole Blood :(Light spin): Two products:
1) PRBCs
2) Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP)
Whole Blood Unit
After centrifugation
WB separates into
PR Plasma &
PRBCs
PRBCs
 A PRBC unit contains ~ 200 ml RBCs & 50 ml
Plasma.
– HCT of the unit should be ≤ 80%
– One unit increases hematocrit 3%
 RBC units must by stored at 2-6ºC
 PRBC are indicated for:
 Patients with anemia
 Surgery
 Newborn exchange transfusion
Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP)
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) centrifuged
using (heavy spin), this will produce:
1) Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP)
2) Platelets Concentrate (PC)
FFP is the fluid portion of blood that is
separated and frozen at -18ºC within 8 hrs
of WB donation.
Contains all the coagulation factors,
including FVIII (factor 8) & Fibrinogen.
Whole blood unit
Centrifuge using LIGHT spin
Express Platelets Rich Plasma (PRP) into satellite bag
Take PRP and centrifuge again now using HEAVY spin
Express PPP into satellite bag & freeze at -18ºC
Final products :PRBCs, Platelets concentrate & FFP
FFP
Freeze/store it at
 - 18ºC for 1 year from collection date.
• - 70ºC for up to 8 years
Cross match is not required, but should
be ABO compatible.
Indications of FFP
• Liver disease
• Severe burns
• Provides coagulation factors for
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Bleeding
Abnormal clotting due to massive transfusion
Patients on warfarin who are bleeding
Treatment of TTP
Coagulation factors deficiency
ATIII deficiency
DIC when fibrinogen is <100 mg/dl.
FFP
Platelets Concentrate (PC)
How to prepare PC?
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) centrifuged
using (heavy spin), this will produce:
1) Platelets Poor Plasma (PPP)
2) Platelets concentrate (PC)
• PC are stored at room temperature on
platelet agitator (prevent platelets clumping)
• PC stored for 5 days at 20-24°C.
• Each unit should elevate the platelet count by
5000/µL
P.C; Indications
1.To
prevent
bleeding
due
to
thrombocytopenia or platelet dysfunction.
2. For patients undergoing an operation, if
the platelets count < 20,000/µl.
Platelet concentrate
Pooling Platelets
 6-10 units transferred into one bag
 Expiration = 4 hours
Cryoprecipitate (Cryo.)
• Cryo-precipitated (Cryo.) or anti-hemophilic
factor (AHF) is the precipitated protein portion
that results after thawing FFP at cold.
• Contains
– von Willebrand’s Factor (vWF); (platelets adhesion
factor).
– Fibrinogen
• 150 mg in each unit.
– Factor VIII
• About 80 IU in each unit.
Cryoprecipitate (Cryo.)
How to prepare Cryo.?
WB is centrifuged special heavy spin (3500 rpm at
4ºC for 11 min.) 
• PRBCs
• Plasma
store until frozen > -18ºC (FFP)
FFP allowed to thaw at 4ºC overnight.
Centrifuge plasma heavy spin to separate plasma from
Cryo……..
Express supernatant plasma & Cryo. will remain in bag.
what the supernatant plasma is called?
 The supernatant plasma is called cryoprecipitate
reduced or plasma cryo.
 Good for Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
(TTP).
Cryo…..
Indications
Hemophilia-A
von Willebrand Disease (vWD).
Congenital
or
acquired
(dysfibrinogenemia).
fibrinogen
defects
Storage and Expiration of CRYO:
• Must be stored at -18ºC, preferably - 30ºC.
• Expires 1 year from original WB donation date, not from
the date the Cryo., was prepared.
Special Procedures
 Aphaeresis
 APHERESIS, Greek pheresis = ″to take away″; involves the selective
removal of blood constituents from blood donors or patients.
of a pathologic materials has a theoretical advantage
over the removal of all plasma constituents.
 Selective removal
 In most aphaeresis instruments, centrifugal force separates blood
into components on the basis of differences in density.
Apheresis
Plateletsphaeresis
To obtain platelets at least 3 × 1011 platelets/unit from:
 Random volunteer donors (5 Random donors=1 apharesis donor)
 Patients’ family members
 Donors with matched HLA or platelet antigen phenotypes.
-The most common platelets collection systems (Trima-right side &
Baxter-left side)
Irradiation of Blood Components
 Cellular blood components are irradiated to destroy
viable T- lymphocytes which may cause GraftVersus Host
Disease (GVHD).
 GVHD is a disease that results when immunocompetent,
viable lymphocytes in donor blood engraft in an
immunocompromised host, recognize the patient tissues
as foreign and produce antibodies against patient tissues,
primarily skin, liver and GI tract. The resulting disease
has serious consequences including death.
 GVHD may be chronic or acute
Irradiation of Blood Components
 Patients at greatest risk are:
 severely immunosuppressed,
 immunocompromised,
 receive blood donated by relatives, or
 fetuses receiving intrauterine transfusions
 Irradiation inactivates lymphocytes, leaving platelets, RBCs and
granulocytes relatively undamaged.
 Must be labeled "irradiated".
 Expiration date of Red Blood Cell donor unit changes to 28 days.
 May be transfused to "normal" patients if not used by intended
recipient.
Thank You