What is the need for- Plasma Donation?

I really don't want to bore you with fancy biological terms, and nor am I going to take you through a heavy Biology lecture (as I myself am done with those). But I'll need to clear some basics out so that you can connect with my blog, as I don't want people thinking around, "Why does Archit want us to donate our Plasma TVs?" Anyways... Plasma is a the pale yellow portion of the blood, which accounts to 50% of its composition, and also gives it its liquid state. It itself is made up of water, proteins and salts. It plays the critical role of maintaining a healthy blood pressure, blood volume and a proper pH balance. Without plasma, our body would not be able to transport most of the proteins, which help in the clotting of blood, and are also necessary for our immune system responses.

In addition, it carries electrolytes that our muscles need to function properly and support our day-to-day activities. So as you can see, this is one important thing!

But then the question arises that: Why is Plasma needed?

Blood plasma is needed for many modern medical therapies. These include treatments for immune system conditions, bleeding, and respiratory disorders, as well as blood transfusions and wound healing. It is also used to treat individuals with severe trauma, burns, shocks, and when a significant amount of blood has been lost. According to the FDA (the U.S. Food & Drug Administration), the U.S. requires atleast 10,000 bottles of Blood Plasma daily! And now with the onset of COVID-19, the demand is much higher. Even though, Plasma Donation is a common concept there, we are still catching up with this, and an extremely less percentage of people know about this, but the need is ever important! Even I myself read about this only after hearing that Plasma Therapy is becoming a commonly used treatment for severe COVID-19 infections.

So, how does Plasma help fight COVID-19? Suppose, unfortunately, you were detected with this infection. Your body would have started fighting the infection on its own, and started to produce antibodies or a defending army to fight it, and later, thankfully with all the required treatment, you recovered. But even though you have recovered, the body will not do away with the antibodies that had fought the infection. Instead, it would store them in your blood plasma, so that you don't get heavily affected from the infection, ever again.

Now, in another case, a person who has been severely infected will have a hard time producing the required antibodies, and may not even be able to produce them in time. This is where the first person (i.e. in this example, you) can help. Whenever you recover, you can donate your plasma to a plasma bank, and help save the life of that severely infected person. You can also think of this as, that your plasma will act as reinforcement troops for the second person's injured defending army.

Also please note that donating Plasma for Plasma Therapy requires the following: i) You ofcourse have to be tested positive for COVID-19, atleast 2 weeks ago. ii) You have recovered from the infection. iii) You do not have Diabetes Mellitus. iv) You do not have High Blood Pressure.

v) You have not given birth in your lifetime. vi) You need to be below the age of 65. (As mentioned at dhoondh.com/hero)

Benefits of Plasma Donation

Plasma plays the critical role of maintaining a healthy blood pressure, blood volume and a proper pH balance. It is also good for the heart and the liver, which is similiar to Blood Donation. How is Plasma Donated?

Donating plasma is similar to giving blood. A needle is placed into a vein in your arm. Plasma is collected through a process call plasmapheresis and is conducted in cycles that may take up to an hour. Whole blood is drawn. The plasma is separated from the red blood cells and other cellular components. These are returned to your body with a sterile saline solution to help the body replace the plasma removed from the whole blood. Owing to the recent developments in technology, there is also a automated process for taking out Plasma. In this, the blood is removed from the donor’s arm and run through an automated process that removes the plasma portion from the blood. The remaining red blood cells and platelets are then returned to the donor’s arm with a small amount of saline to maintain the overall volume. This all occurs while the donor is in the donation chair and allows a donor to give more plasma than they would during a regular blood donation – enough plasma for up to three patients from a single plasma donation. The process itself is safe, and ultimately is very similar to a general blood donation visit.

So where can I donate my Plasma?

You can donate your Plasma, in most of your nearby Blood Banks and even in some hospitals. But the best way to do so is through a recently launched website called 'dhoondh.com'. It is an excellent platform for Plasma donors, and recipients alike, and has greatly reduced the time taken to find a suitable donor, saving innumerable lives, as it would earlier take weeks to find a donor, causing the loss of valuable time, and sometimes, the death of the patient. Also please check: covidplasmain.page.link/main for more information to donate

I also know, that fortunately most of you who are reading this have not tested positive to this dangerous infection, and I hope none of you ever do, but we all can do our part by donating plasma, AND, also by spreading awareness about it, as there are still many other patients who desperately need it. And ofcourse, we can also do our part by staying at home, wearing masks while going out, and following all the social distancing rules (even as we don't really like them) and give gratitude for everything around us, everyday!