Differance between blood and plasma donations?

Question

Could someone please tell me what the difference between a blood donation and a plasma donation is or are they the same thing?

Answer 1

Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. A plasma donation means just the fluids without the blood cells.

Blood donation means either the blood cells, or the whole lot (plasma, blood cells and platelets)/

Answer 2

Most often plasma is separated from whole blood donations.  It is the larger part of blood volume and is not type specific.  It can be separated at the time of donation by use of a semi-permeable membrane, and the cells returned to the donor, but this is not a terribly efficient method or altogether comfortable.  It is usually done when large volumes of plasma are needed, and typing not readily available.

Answer 3

When you donate plasma, you're donating the part of the blood that contains clotting factors (platelets and other proteins). You get hooked up to a machine that draws your blood, separates the blood from the plasma, and then returns the plasma-less blood to your body. I believe they only take a pint of plasma in total, but I could be wrong. Because your body can regenerate these elements much quicker than it can replace blood, you can donate plasma much more often (I think the recommendation is every two or three days).

When you donate blood, nothing gets returned to your body. You get hooked up to a tube that ends in a pouch, and your blood flows into the pouch until it is full. You can only donate blood once every eight weeks.

Answer 4

Blood is the red stuff that come out when you cut yourself etc.

Plasma is a compnent of this blood. Essentailly it is blood with all the red blood cells (that carry oxygen) and white blood cells (which help to fight infection) taken out of it.

Plasma still contains the clotting factors that whole blood has so it can be used for people who have a lack of these for whatever reason.

Some people can be plasma donors. These people can donate more often than blood donors as the red blood cells are not removed and there is not a need for the body to replace these.

Like a previous answer said, it does take longer to donate plasma than blood, but you are provided with free tea and biscuits at UK centres which makes all the altruism worth it.

Answer 5

And it takes over an hour to donate plasma rather than the five minutes it takes to give blood. So take a book if you are thinking of doing it.