Difference between serum and plasma

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Philip Kelley
Difference between serum and plasma

The serum is the liquid part of the blood after drawing it, allowing it to clot, while the plasma is the liquid part of the blood, which is obtained when the clotting process is prevented.

Clinical analysis laboratories can use serum and / or plasma to measure different blood compounds as a means of helping to diagnose the health status of an individual..

Serum Plasma
Definition Liquid part of the blood after clotting. Liquid part of the blood when clotting is inhibited.
Obtaining Centrifugation of blood without anticoagulants. Centrifuging blood with anticoagulants.
Use Serological tests

Clinical chemistry tests: glucose, cholesterol, urea, enzymes.

Coagulation tests: PT, PTT, fibrinogen.

Density 1,024 g / ml 1.025 g / ml
Appearance Light yellowish Light yellowish
Composition Water, albumin, globulins, lipoproteins, amino acids, hormones, ions, glucose Same as serum, plus fibrinogen and clotting factors.

What is blood serum?

The serum It is the liquid that is obtained from the blood when it is allowed to clot after its extraction. It is used in a number of clinical and biochemical trials. Importantly, serum is not a part of the blood, but is the result of allowing the blood to clot outside the body..

How do you get serum from blood?

The serum comes from the blood obtained from an arterial or venous puncture without anticoagulant. The blood is allowed to clot and the fibrin, blood cells and platelets are separated from the serum by means of centrifugation..

To obtain the serum, wait at least one hour at room temperature before centrifugation, to ensure that the coagulation process is carried out in its entirety..

What is blood plasma?

Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. Blood is mainly made up of:

  • A cellular component: includes white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.
  • An acellular component: constituted by plasma, where proteins are dissolved, such as clotting factors, albumin, lipoproteins, calcium, sodium, potassium, hormones and glucose, among other compounds.

Plasma is used in different biochemical tests, particularly it is used to measure glucose, which is artificially reduced in serum..

How do you get plasma from blood?

Plasma is obtained from blood obtained with an anticoagulant, a compound that prevents clotting. Blood is drawn by venipuncture and into vacuum-sealed tubes containing the required amount of anticoagulant..

Commonly used anticoagulants are EDTA, heparin, or citrate. The use of each one depends on the type of chemical tests to be carried out..

The plasma is then separated from the solid elements in the blood by means of centrifugation. Plasma can be obtained quickly since it does not need a waiting time to produce clotting, as in the case of serum..

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