What does Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) increase in the blood?

From the Guidelines

Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) increases clotting factors in the blood, specifically replenishing multiple coagulation factors simultaneously, including factors I, II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, and XIII, as well as proteins C and S 1. When administered, FFP is typically given to patients with coagulopathy due to liver disease, warfarin overdose, massive transfusion, or disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The standard dose is 10-15 mL/kg body weight, which can raise factor levels by approximately 20-30% 1. FFP must be ABO compatible with the recipient and is usually thawed before administration, taking about 30 minutes to prepare. The effects of FFP are temporary, lasting about 6-8 hours for most factors. Potential adverse effects include transfusion reactions, transfusion-associated circulatory overload (TACO), and transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). FFP works by directly replacing the missing or depleted clotting factors, allowing the coagulation cascade to function properly and helping to prevent or control bleeding. Some key points to consider when using FFP include:

• Emerging evidence supports the early use of FFP to prevent dilutional coagulopathy 1
• If an experienced clinician anticipates a blood loss of one blood volume, FFP should be infused to prevent coagulopathy
• While FFP 15 ml.kg–1 is appropriate for uncomplicated cases, increased volumes of FFP will be needed if a consumptive coagulopathy occurs 1

From the Research

FFP Increase in Blood

• FFP (Fresh Frozen Plasma) is known to increase the levels of various coagulation factors in the blood, including:
  • Vitamin K-dependent clotting factors such as prothrombin, FVII, F IX, and FX 2
  • Fibrinogen levels, which remain stable upon repeated freezing and thawing of FFP 2
• The increase in these coagulation factors can help to correct coagulopathy in patients with mild abnormalities of coagulation values, although the effectiveness of FFP in this setting is still a topic of debate 3, 4
• FFP can also increase the levels of other clotting factors, including factor VII, factor IX, and factor X, which are essential for blood coagulation 5
• The use of FFP to increase coagulation factors in the blood is particularly important in patients with congenital bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia B, and in patients with acquired coagulopathy due to massive bleeding or other causes 5, 6