Enhance your trauma care skills with the Platinum Trauma Exam. Use flashcards and multiple-choice questions with hints and explanations. Prepare now!

Multiple Choice

Which blood component serves as the liquid matrix and transports nutrients and waste?

The liquid component that suspends cells and transports nutrients and wastes is plasma. Plasma makes up about half of blood and is mostly water, with dissolved proteins like albumin and fibrinogen, electrolytes, nutrients, hormones, gases, and wastes. This medium carries nutrients from the digestive system to tissues and helps remove wastes to the kidneys or liver, while also supporting blood volume and pH balance. Red blood cells carry oxygen and carbon dioxide; white blood cells defend against infection; platelets are involved in clotting. Plasma is the transport matrix that enables all these processes to occur.

The liquid component that suspends cells and transports nutrients and wastes is plasma. Plasma makes up about half of blood and is mostly water, with dissolved proteins like albumin and fibrinogen, electrolytes, nutrients, hormones, gases, and wastes. This medium carries nutrients from the digestive system to tissues and helps remove wastes to the kidneys or liver, while also supporting blood volume and pH balance. Red blood cells carry oxygen and carbon dioxide; white blood cells defend against infection; platelets are involved in clotting. Plasma is the transport matrix that enables all these processes to occur.