Factsheets

Blood and Blood Products in Australia

What are the components of fresh blood?

Fresh blood contains red blood cells, white cells and platelets suspended in a straw-coloured liquid known as plasma. When a blood donor gives blood they normally provide this as a whole blood donation and historically this whole blood has been used to transfuse patients suffering from blood loss or other disorders.

While whole blood transfusions are still used in certain circumstances today, it is a more generally accepted practice to administer the separated, concentrated components of blood as these can be stored for longer and delivered more rapidly than whole blood. Processing blood into components provides tailored treatment for patients, and maximises the use of blood donations.

What are blood products made from and how are they used?

Many blood products are made from the plasma component of blood. Plasma contains a large number of proteins, each of which performs a different role within the blood. Major proteins within plasma are able to be selectively separated and this is commonly referred to as plasma fractionation.

The isolated proteins are then made into products to treat patients for their particular needs. For example, Albumin is predominantly used to replace blood or fluid lost by a patient following trauma, such as a car accident or major burns.

Immunoglobulins, or antibodies as they are sometimes called, are one of the most important mechanisms the body has to protect itself against infections. If the patient has depleted quantities in their blood the use of immunoglobulin concentrates enables replacement. These blood products are widely used for immune deficiencies, such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The products most commonly isolated from plasma are shown in Table 1 below. Not all of these products are produced or used in Australia.

Recombinant products are also blood products. These products are genetically-engineered products and do not rely on the donation of plasma for production.

Who are the suppliers of blood and blood products in Australia?

The National Blood Authority is the national contract manager for supplies of blood and blood products in Australia and purchases blood and blood products on behalf of all Australian governments.

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) is responsible for the collection, processing and distribution of fresh blood products and is the major distributor of plasma derived blood products in Australia.

Other suppliers in the blood product sector include: CSL Limited; Baxter Healthcare Australia Pty Ltd; Wyeth Australia Pty Ltd; Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd and Octapharma (Australia) Pty Ltd.

Blood and Blood Products*

Product Name	What is it?	Common Uses
Fresh Blood
Whole Blood	Blood	Transfusions or broken down into components
Red Cells	Transports oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the tissues	Anaemia and replacement of traumatic or surgical blood loss
Platelets	Promotes blood clotting and wound healing	Haemorrhage
Fresh Frozen Plasma	Contains all coagulation factors	Bleeding problems after trauma or liver transplants
Cryoprecipitate	Precipitate recovered from thawing frozen plasma between 1°C and 6°C	Massive bleeding or Haemophilia A
Products Produced from Plasma
Albumin	Proteins in the blood	Blood volume replacement ie after accident
Immunoglobulin	Commonly referred to as 'antibodies'	Immune deficiencies ie often used with patients with Cancer receiving chemotherapy
Factor VII	Clotting factor in the blood
Factor VIII	Clotting factor in the blood	Haemophilia A
Factor VIII/vWF (von Willebrand complex)	Clotting factor in the blood	von Willebrand Disease
Factor IX	Clotting factor in the blood	Haemophilia B
Factor XI	Clotting factor in the blood	Haemophilia A
Alpha-1-proteinaise inhibitor (API)		Acquired and congenital emphysema. Cystic fibrosis
C-1-esterase inhibitor		Hereditary angiodema. Heart attacks
Protein C	Clotting factor in the blood	Purpura fulminans. Couramin induced skin necrosis
Prothrombin Complex Concentrate (PCC)		Bleeding disorders. Haemophilia B
Anticoagulation Complex		Bleeding disorders
Antithrombin III	Anticoagulant	Deep Vein Thrombosis. Pulmonary embolus
Fibrinogen	Clotting factor in the blood	Stopping of bleeding or haemorrhaging in surgery
Thrombin	Coagulation protein	Stopping of bleeding or haemorrhaging in surgery
Recombinant Products
Recombinant Factor VIIa	Genetically engineered clotting factor	Haemophilia patients with inhibitors to FVIII and FIX
Recombinant Factor VIII	Genetically engineered clotting factor	Haemophilia A
Recombinant Factor IX	Genetically engineered clotting factor	Haemophilia B

* This table is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all blood and blood products. It is an overview only.

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Factsheets

Blood and Blood Products in Australia