BLOOD COMPONENTS - THEIR PREPARATION AND USE,

Blood donation as a source of blood components has become increasingly useful due to two innovations of technic. The first is the availability of plastics with a closed system of collection and separation eliminating the chief source of bacterial contamination. Another major achievement stressed in the article is the use of a refrigerated centrifuge with high speed RPM-RCF capability for rapid and accurate acquisition of the various components and return of red cells to donor. The use of components in various clinical states was discussed, particularly the use of packed red blood cells in normo- or hypervolemic states when oxygen carrying capacity is needed the use of specific clotting factor therapy as well as the use of platelets, albumin, and globulin with its subfractions. Author