Storing blood plasma. Haematologist arranging racks of plasma, extracted from donated blood, ready for storage in the blood bank. Blood plasma is the fluid in which the blood cells are suspended. It consists of a solution of inorganic salts with a high concentration of proteins, along with fats, glucose, hormones and clotting factors. Plasma transfusions are used to treat patients with deficiencies in plasma components or those with abnormally high concentrations of plasma-bound agents. Photographed at the Etablissement Francais du Sang, Lille, France.