Plasma

: The liquid part of the blood and lymphatic fluid, which makes up about half of its volume. Plasma is devoid of cells and, unlike serum, has not clotted. Blood plasma contains antibodies and other proteins. It is taken from donors and made into medications for a variety of blood-related conditions. Some blood plasma is also used in non-medical products.

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1. The proteinaceous fluid (noncellular) portion of the circulating blood, as distinguished from the serum obtained after coagulation. SYN: blood p.. 2. The fluid portion of the lymph. 3. The fluid in which the fat droplets of milk are suspended. 4. A “fourth state of matter” in which, owing to elevated temperature, atoms have broken down to form free electrons and more or less stripped nuclei; produced in the laboratory in connection with hydrogen fusion (thermonuclear) research. SYN: plasm. [G. something formed]

- antihemophilic p. human p. in which the labile antihemophilic globulin component, present in fresh p., has been preserved; it is used to temporarily relieve dysfunction of the hemostatic mechanism in hemophilia.

- blood p. SYN: p. (1).

- p. expander (plaz′ma eks-pan′der) SYN: p. substitute.

- fresh frozen p. (FFP) separated p., frozen within 6 hours of collection, used in hypovolemia and coagulation factor deficiency.

- p. hydrolysate an artificial digest of protein derived from bovine blood p. prepared by a method of hydrolysis sufficient to provide more than half of the total nitrogen present in the form of α-amino nitrogen; used when high protein intake is indicated and cannot be accomplished through ordinary foods. SEE ALSO: protein hydrolysate.

- p. marinum sea water diluted to make it isotonic with p..

- muscle p. an alkaline fluid in muscle that is spontaneously coagulable, separating into myosin and muscle serum.

- normal human p. sterile p. obtained by pooling approximately equal amounts of the liquid portion of citrated whole blood from eight or more adult humans who have been certified as free from any disease that is tranmissible by transfusion, and treating it with ultraviolet irradiation to destroy possible bacterial and viral contaminants.

- salted p. the fluid portion of blood drawn from the vessels, which is prevented from coagulating by being drawn into a solution of sodium or magnesium sulfate. SYN: salted serum.

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plas·ma 'plaz-mə n

1 a) the fluid part esp. of blood, lymph, or milk that is distinguished from suspended material see BLOOD PLASMA

b) the juice that can be expressed from muscle

2) PROTOPLASM

3) a mixture of starch and gel used as an ointment base

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(blood plasma)

n.

the straw-coloured fluid in which the blood cells are suspended. It consists of a solution of various inorganic salts of sodium, potassium, calcium, etc., with a high concentration of protein (approximately 70 g/l) and a variety of trace substances.

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plas·ma (plazґmə) [Gr. “anything formed or molded”] 1. the fluid portion of the blood in which the particulate components are suspended. Plasma is to be distinguished from serum, which is the cell-free portion of the blood from which the fibrinogen has been separated in the process of clotting. Called also blood p. 2. the lymph deprived of its corpuscles or cells.