Why administer packed blood cells instead of plasma?

Answer 1

A farmer discovered that a neighbor's farm produced far more than his own. The farmer went to the fertilizer store and saw that the neighbor spent very little more on fertilizer but had a far greater yield. He asked what the neighbor had done. The store owner explained. His neighbor had taken samples of his soil and sent them to the agriculture department to have them analyzed. In addition to the regular fertilizer, he had replaced the missing nutrients from the soil. That is how he got a great increase in yield.

Likewise, people are different. A physician will order a blood test. Sometimes the answer will be plasma, sometimes whole blood, and sometimes it would be a particular problem with a particular blood cell. You would want the physician to take the samples of your blood and have it analyzed to see what you needed rather than give you a one size fits all treatment!

Answer 2

Packed red blood cells are used to increase oxygen-carrying capacity in patients with anemia or blood loss, while plasma is primarily used for volume expansion and clotting factor replacement. The choice between packed red blood cells and plasma depends on the specific indication and patient's condition. Plasma is typically used for conditions requiring volume expansion or coagulation support, while packed red blood cells are for oxygen-carrying capacity.