Origins of Blood Products

Anesthesiologists order and administer blood products in the operating room and intensive care unit settings. Over the past century a better understanding of blood products has improved the delivery of these products with reduced patient morbidity and mortality. There are five fates of hematopoietic stem cells, which in total, represent the hematopoietic components: lymphopoiesis, granulocytopoiesis, erythropoiesis, megakarocytopoiesis and monocytopoiesis. Whole blood is divided into different products: packed red blood cells, cryoprecipitate, platelets, and fresh frozen plasma. Isolated components of whole blood are each indicated for unique circumstances, rendering the division, separate storage, and administration more efficacious than that of complete whole blood. Understanding the physiological function of each blood product guides clinical decision making for when to use a whole blood product or specific individual blood products.