The hemotherapy It is a therapeutic modality in which blood or some of its components is used to treat various health problems.
The blood obtained can be used both in the same donor (autohemotherapy) and in another recipient.
Health team that carries out hemotherapy
The various processes of hemotherapy are carried out by a team of health professionals, among which the hemotherapy technician and the hematologist doctor. This team works in units known as blood banks.
Hemotherapy technicians carry out the different processes required to have blood and its derivatives. This process includes the extraction of blood, its immunohaematological and serological study in search of various infections that would lead to the donor being rejected or not, its processing, its conservation and finally its transfusion.
Hematologists are health professionals who are responsible for diagnosing and treating various blood disorders, such as anemia, bone marrow aplasia, blood clotting problems, leukemias, and lymphomas.
Blood and its derivatives
Once the blood is drawn, it must be properly processed to prevent clotting and to keep its various components viable until the time of use.
The blood obtained can be used unmodified, known as whole blood, or it can be divided into various components including:
Globular concentrate.
It is made up of red blood cells, it is obtained by centrifuging whole blood and extracting the plasma. This fraction is used in the treatment of severe anemia or those that do not respond to other forms of treatment.
Platelet concentrate.
It is obtained by special techniques in which only platelets are obtained from the donor. Platelet concentrates are used in hemotherapy to replace platelets in patients with disorders in which these blood cells are affected, such as dengue hemorrhagic fever, or as a side effect of some types of chemotherapy.
Fresh frozen plasma.
This fraction of the blood contains proteins such as albumin and various clotting factors. It is used when you need to supply clotting factors to prevent or treat bleeding.
Cryoprecipitate.
It corresponds to the fraction of the blood plasma that is insoluble in the cold, is rich in fibrinogen as well as coagulation factors such as factor VIII and factor XIII. This derivative is used to replace these clotting factors in people with hemophilia and Von Willebran disease.
Photos: iStock - choja / annebaek
