Difference Between Plasma Donation and Blood Donation

Plasma Donation vs Blood Donation

Blood, as we all know, is very vital to our body. It functions by transporting nutrients, water, and oxygen that is circulating in the body. It also maintains the fluid volume and the overall homeostasis of the body. Once the blood is being affected, obviously, in just a blink of an eye, a person can die instantly. Take, for example, the disease dengue caused by the mosquito. If the platelets in the blood were not able to be replaced immediately, that patient will have internal bleeding. So a blood donation is needed as soon as possible.

Blood donation is a term we are familiar with. But what about plasma donation? Let us examine closely these words.

Blood has different components. It is composed of RBC, or red blood cells, WBC, or white blood cells, platelets, and lastly plasma. Plasma is the component of blood that is fluid in nature. This sub-component of blood carries nutrients and clotting factors.

When a person is donating for a blood donation, all of the whole blood components are being taken from that person. It depends on the donor whether he or she wants to separate the blood components according to the need of the person he or she is helping. It can be red blood cells alone, white blood cells, platelets, or plasma. It’s up to the medical technologist to separate this whole blood component.

A plasma donation, on the other hand, is the same as a blood donation. However, the plasma component is usually being taken for donation after the separation of the blood components, but the rest of the components of the blood are being given back to the patient. This is called apheresis. People who are suffering from burns, trauma, and bleeding disorders will benefit from a plasma donation.

Blood donations can be performed every 60 days or 2 months. It can’t be done frequently because RBCs metabolize, shed off, and renew every two months inside our body. Plasma donations, on the other hand, can be donated frequently as the remaining blood components are being returned to the donor’s body.

Summary:

1.Blood donations involve the donation of all of the whole components of the blood while plasma donations only involve the donation of plasma, and then the remaining blood components are being returned to the donor’s body.
2.Blood donations can only be done every two months while plasma donations can be done more frequently.
3.Both types of donation can save millions of lives needing blood daily.

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