plasma
(plaz'mă 
)
[L. plasma, fr Gr. plasma, something formed or molded]
- An ointment base of glycerol and starch.
- The liquid part of blood and of lymph. SYN: blood plasma.
Plasma forms 52% to 62% of the total blood volume and is a transport medium and a medium for chemical reactions. It is about 91.5% water, and about 7% protein, including albumin, globulins, and the clotting factors. Also found in plasma are electrolytes that determine osmotic pressure and pH balance, nutrients and waste products, and hormones. Most carbon dioxide is transported in plasma in the form of bicarbonate ions. Plasma from which clotting factors have been removed is called serum.
antihemophilic factor p.Human plasma in which factor VIII, the antihemophilic globulin, has been preserved; used to correct temporarily the bleeding tendency in some forms of hemophilia.
SEE: hemophilia.
plasmatic, adj.
convalescent p.Plasma that has been obtained from people who have survived an infection. It contains antibodies to the infection and can be transfused to provide passive immunity to others.
ABBR: FFP
The fluid portion of one unit of human blood that has been centrifuged, separated, and frozen solid within 6 hr of collection.
Patients with heart failure or chronic kidney disease may experience fluid overload during infusions of fresh frozen plasma.SEE: blood component therapy.
hyperimmune p.Hyperimmune globulin.
normal human p.Pooled plasma from a number of human donors. The plasma is selected from screened donors and sterilized.
platelet-rich p.A concentrate of platelets and plasma proteins derived from a patient's whole blood, centrifuged to remove red blood cells and other unwanted components. It has a greater concentration of growth factors than whole blood and has been used as a tissue injection in a variety of disciplines, including dentistry, orthopedic surgery, and sports medicine.