1. A bag containing one unit of fresh frozen plasma
Plasmapheresis
A bag containing one unit of fresh frozen plasma

2. What is AB Plasma?
Plasma is the pale yellow liquid part of whole blood, in which the cellular elements are suspended.  It is enriched in proteins that help fight infection and aid the blood in clotting. 
AB plasma is plasma collected from blood group AB donors. It is considered "universal donor" plasma because it is suitable for all recipients, regardless of blood group. 
Due to its value as a transfusion component, it is sometimes referred to as "liquid gold." The NIH Blood Bank maintains a special program for AB plasma donors.

3. What is Plasmapheresis?
Plasmapheresis is the standard procedure by which plasma is separated from whole blood and collected.
Blood flows through a single needle placed in an arm vein, into a machine that contains a sterile, disposable plastic kit.
The plasma is isolated and channeled out into a special bag, and red blood cells and other parts of the blood are returned to you through the same needle.

4. Is Plasmapheresis Safe?
Absolutely. The machine and the procedure have been evaluated and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and all plastics and needles coming into contact with you are used once and discarded.
At no time during the procedure is the blood being returned to you detached from the needle in your arm, so there is no risk of returning the wrong blood to you.

5. Who Is Eligible to Participate in the AB Plasma Program?
Donors must have blood group AB and must be male, because men lack plasma proteins (antibodies) directed against blood cell elements. 
Otherwise, eligibility for plasmapheresis procedures is the same as that for whole-blood donation. The interval between consecutive group AB plasmapheresis donations at NIH is 1 month.

6. How Long Does Plasmapheresis Take?
Plasmapheresis procedures take about 40 minutes, but you should allow another 20 minutes for staff to obtain your medical history. Every effort will be made to make the experience relaxing and enjoyable.

7. Plasmapheresis
The phrase fresh frozen plasma (FFP) refers to the liquid portion of human blood that has been frozen and preserved after a blood donation and will be used for blood transfusion. 
The method is also used to collect plasma, to preserve it frozen and to keep it fresh. Finally, the frozen plasma is manufactured into a variety of medications.

8. The use of plasma and its products has evolved over a period of four decades. The use of FFP has increased tenfold from between the years  and has reached almost 2 million units annually in the united states.
 This trend may be attributable to multiple factors, possibly including decreased availability of whole blood due to widespread acceptance of the concept of component therapy. 

9. FFP contains the labile as well as stable components of the coagulation, fibrinolytic and complement systems; the proteins that maintain oncotic pressure and modulate immunity; and other proteins that have diverse activities. In addition, fats, carbohydrates and minerals are present in concentrations similar to those in circulation. 

10. Coagulation (thrombogenesis) is the process by which blood forms clots
Coagulation (thrombogenesis) is the process by which blood forms clots. It is an important part of homeostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel, wherein a damaged blood vessel wall is covered by a platelet and fibrin-containing clot to stop bleeding and begin repair of the damaged vessel. Disorders of coagulation can lead to an increased risk of bleeding (hemorrhage) or obstructive clotting (thrombosis).
Fibrinolysis is a process that prevents blood clots from growing and becoming problematic. This process has two types: primary fibrinolysis and secondary fibrinolysis. The primary type is a normal body process, whereas secondary fibrinolysis is the breakdown of clots due to a medicine.

11. The complement system  consists of a number of small proteins found in the blood helps or “complements” the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear pathogens from an organism. It is part of the immune systems called the innate immune systems.
Oncotic pressure, or colloid osmotic pressure, is a form of osmotic pressure exerted by proteins in a blood vessel's plasma (blood/liquid) that usually tends to pull water into the circulatory system. 

12. An important use of plasmapheresis is in the therapy of autoimmune disorder, where the rapid removal of disease-causing autoantibodies from the circulation is required in addition to other medical therapy.
It is important to note that plasma offers the quickest short-term answer to remove harmful autoantibodies ; however, the production of autoantibodies by the immune system must also be suppressed, usually by the use of medications such as prednisone, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, rituximab or a mixture of these.

13. Examples of diseases that can be treated with plasmapheresis:

14. Guillain–Barré syndrome
a disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system. weakness beginning in the feet and hands and migrating towards the trunk, is the most typical symptom.
The end result of this autoimmune attack on the peripheral nerves is damage to the myelin, the fatty insulating layer of the nerve, leading to muscle paralysis.

15. Cryoglobulinemia
Cryoglobulinemia is a medical condition in which the blood contains large amounts of cryoglobulins - proteins that become insoluble at reduced temperatures. Cryoglobulins typically precipitate at temperatures below normal body temperature (37 degrees Celsius) and will dissolve again if the blood is heated.

16. Waldenström's macroglobulinemia
Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) is cancer affecting B cells, a type of white blood cells. The main attributing antibody is immunoglobulin M (IgM).

17. Myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatiguability. It is an autoimmune disorder, in which weakness is caused by circulating antibodies that block acetylcholine receptors at the postsynaptic neuromuscular junctions.

18. Wegener's granulomatosis
Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), is form of vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels) that affects the nose, lungs, kidneys and other organs. Due to its end-organ damage, it is life-threatening and requires long-term immunosuppression.

19. Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome
Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS, sometimes Lambert–Eaton syndrome or Eaton–Lambert syndrome) is a rare autoimmune disorder that is characterized by muscle weakness of the limbs. It is the result of an autoimmune reaction, where antibodies are formed against presynaptic voltage gated calcium channel in the neuromuscular junctions (the connection between nerves and the muscle that they supply).
Detailed view of a neuromuscular junction:
1. Presynaptic terminal 2. Sarcolemma 3. Synaptic vesicle 4. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor 5. Mitochondrion

20. Antiphospholipid syndrome
Antiphospholipid syndrome or antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS or APLS or), often also Hughes syndrome, is an autoimmune state caused by antibodies against cell-membrane phospholipids that provokes blood clots (thrombosis) in both arteries and veins as well as pregnancy-related complications such as miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm delivery.

21. Behçet's disease
Behçet's disease, sometimes called Behçet's syndrome, is a rare immune-mediated vasculitis that often presents with mucous membrane ulceration and ocular involvements.

22. Pemphigus vulgaris
It is an autoimmune disease caused by antibodies directed against both desmoglein 1 and desmoglein 3 that are protiens that play a role in joining cells to one another resulting in the loss of cohesion between keratinocytes in the epidermis.

23. Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS), is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty mylein sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged.

24. Plasma (the liquid portion of your blood) will return to normal levels within a couple of days.
 Fresh frozen plasma, used to control bleeding due to low levels of some clotting factors, is kept in a frozen state for up to one year.
Cryoprecipitated AHF, which contains only a few specific clotting factors, is made from fresh frozen plasma and may be stored frozen for up to one year.

25. Other products manufactured from blood include albumin, immune globulin, specific immune globulins, and clotting factor concentrates. Commercial manufacturers commonly produce these blood products.