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©2013 UpToDate ® Print Email Blood replacement products: Recommended uses and effects in adults Product (mL) Contents Uses and effects Whole blood (1 unit = 500 mL) All components Rarely required. Consider when massive bleeding requires transfusion of >5 to 7 units of packed red cells. Red cells + additive solution (1 unit = 350 mL) Red cells One unit increases hematocrit by 3 percentage points and hemoglobin by 1 g/dL. Frozen plasma (1 unit = 200 to 300 mL) All clotting factors, but no platelets Best used to correct deficiencies of multiple coagulation factors (eg, DIC, liver disease, warfarin overdosage). One unit FFP increases fibrinogen by 7 to 10 mg/dL. Usual dose is 10 to 15 mL/kg. Cryoprecipitate (1 unit = 10 to 20 mL) Fibrinogen, factors VIII, XIII, VWF Typical dose consists of two bags of prepooled cryoprecipitate (total of 10 units), which will raise plasma fibrinogen by 70 mg/dL in a 70 kg recipient. Whole blood-derived and apheresis-derived platelets (1 unit = 50 mL) Platelets Six units of whole blood-derived or one unit of apheresis-derived platelets will raise the platelet count by approximately 30,000/microL in an average sized adult. Frozen blood products (plasma, cryoprecipitate) take 35 to 45 minutes to thaw. It may take the same amount of time to perform an uncomplicated crossmatch. DIC: disseminated intravascular coagulation; FFP: fresh frozen plasma; VWF: von Willebrand Factor; kg: kilograms.