Glossary
Plasma
Plasma is the liquid fraction of blood, roughly fiftyfive percent of its volume, in which the cells are suspended. After centrifugation it forms the upper layer. It carries the platelets that PRP concentrates.
Figure
The plasma fraction
Figure. Roughly fifty five percent of the column, and the layer in which the platelets you want are suspended. Its density, about 1,025 kg per cubic metre, is the baseline every other fraction is separated against.
In practice
Plasma density is about 1,025 kg/m3, against roughly 1,040 to 1,060 for platelets and 1,090 to 1,100 for erythrocytes. That density difference is the entire basis of separation.
See also
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)PRP is plasma with a platelet concentration above whole-blood baseline, produced by centrifuging a patient's own blood.
- Buffy coatThe buffy coat is the thin layer that forms between the red cells and the plasma after centrifugation.
- ErythrocyteAn erythrocyte is a red blood cell.