Blood plasma Plasma also serves as the protein reserve of the human body. It plays a vital role in an intravascular osmotic effect that keeps electrolyte concentration balanced and protects the body from infection and other blood disorders. Blood plasma is separated from the blood by spinning a tube of fresh blood containing an anticoagulant in a centrifuge until the blood cells fall to the bottom of the tube. The blood plasma is then poured or drawn off. Blood plasma has a density of approximately 1025 kg/m, or 1.025 g/ml. Blood serum is blood plasma without clotting factors. Plasmapheresis is a medical
Clotting time Clotting time Clotting time is the time required for a sample of blood to coagulate in vitro under standard conditions. There are various methods for determining the clotting time, the most common being the capillary tube method. It is affected by calcium ion levels and many diseases. Normal value of clotting time is 8 to 15 minutes. For the measurement of clotting time by test tube method, blood is placed in a glass test tube and kept at 37° C. The required time is measured for the blood to clot. There are several other methods, including testing for those on