US Medical Term · anatomy
Plasma
Plasma
Also: Plasma sanguíneo (regional variant)
What the plasma carries
The NCI dictionary says plasma carries the blood cells. MedlinePlus describes what those cells do: red blood cells (RBC) deliver oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and organs, white blood cells (WBC) fight infection and are part of the immune system, and platelets help blood to clot when you have a cut or wound. Bone marrow, the spongy material inside the bones, makes new blood cells.
What it means
Plasma is the clear, yellowish, fluid part of the blood that carries the blood cells. That is how the National Cancer Institute (NCI) dictionary defines it, and the NCI adds that the proteins that form blood clots are in plasma. MedlinePlus explains that blood is made up of liquid and solids. The liquid part, called plasma, is made of water, salts, and protein, and over half of your blood is plasma. The solid part of the blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. MedlinePlus also notes that blood tests, such as blood count tests, help doctors check for certain diseases and conditions.
Plasma in Spanish
- Spanish term
- Plasma
- Gender and article
- masculine: el plasma
- Pronunciation
- PLAHS-mah
Plasma is written the same way in Spanish and English. The National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary defines it as the parte clara, amarillenta y líquida de la sangre que transporta los glóbulos, and MedlinePlus en español writes la parte líquida, llamada plasma. The word is masculine: the NCI entry says the clotting proteins are en el plasma. The Real Academia Española dictionary gives a biology sense, parte líquida de la sangre o de la linfa, and a separate physics sense that begins gas ionizado (ionized gas).
Vocabulary that appears beside it in the two Spanish health sources: glóbulos rojos (red blood cells), glóbulos blancos (white blood cells), plaquetas (platelets), coágulos de sangre (blood clots), agua, sales y proteínas (water, salts and proteins) and médula ósea (bone marrow). The NCI dictionary uses glóbulos where its English entry says blood cells, and MedlinePlus en español also writes células sanguíneas and células de la sangre.
Phrases for an appointment
What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:
| Who | English | Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| Patient | My lab report mentions plasma. What is that? | Mi informe de laboratorio menciona el plasma. ¿Qué es eso? |
| Clinician | Plasma is the liquid part of your blood. | El plasma es la parte líquida de su sangre. |
| Patient | Is plasma the same as blood? | ¿El plasma es lo mismo que la sangre? |
| Clinician | No. Blood also has a solid part: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. | No. La sangre también tiene una parte sólida: glóbulos rojos, glóbulos blancos y plaquetas. |
| Patient | What is in the plasma? | ¿Qué contiene el plasma? |
| Clinician | It contains water, salts, and proteins, including the proteins that form blood clots. | Contiene agua, sales y proteínas, incluidas las proteínas que forman los coágulos de sangre. |
| Clinician | We are going to draw a blood sample for a blood count. | Vamos a sacarle una muestra de sangre para un conteo sanguíneo. |
| Patient | When will I get the results of the blood test? | ¿Cuándo voy a recibir los resultados del análisis de sangre? |
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Plasma |
| Spanish (Español) | Plasma |
| Chinese (中文) | 血漿 |
| Korean (한국어) | 혈장 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Huyết tương |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Plasma ng dugo |
| Portuguese (Português) | Plasma |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | พลาสมา |
| Japanese (日本語) | 血漿 |
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Your right to an interpreter in the United States
If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.
You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»
More terms: Blood and immune system
All terms in this area: Blood and immune system — Sangre y sistema inmunitario
Sources
- plasma — NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms — National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH
- plasma — Diccionario de cáncer del NCI — Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NCI), NIH
- Blood — MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
- Sangre — MedlinePlus en español, Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina
- plasma — Diccionario de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / ASALE
- Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Your Right to Language Assistance Services — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.
Last reviewed: October 8, 2026