Importance

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Abstract

Enhanced production of cryoprecipitate is produced by dehydrating an individual unit of plasma prior to a low temperature step used to produce cryoprecipitate. This dehydration is accomplished either by placing a water absorbing material within a blood bag so that plasma occupying the bag will become dehydrated or by placing the water absorbing material within a cartridge so that plasma becomes dehydrated upon flowing through the cartridge. The preferred water-absorbing material is a cross-linked chromatographic gel having pores too small to admit clotting proteins, but large enough to admit water molecules. Suitable gels are made from carbohydrates or polyacrylamide. Carbohydrate gels such as Sephadex.RTM., produced by Pharmacia-Upjohn, are particularly preferred in the present invention. An alternative embodiment of the invention replaces the simple water-absorbing gel with one that also has ion exchange capabilities, such as DEAE (diethy-aminoethyl) Sephadex which has an especial affinity for a number of blood clotting factors collectively known as the prothrombin complex. Following the dehydration step the DEAE Sephadex is eluted to produce prothrombin complex.

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First Claim