Which blood product is typically used to treat anemia in a patient with edema or fluid overload?

• A. Platelets
• B. Fresh frozen plasma
• C. Cryoprecipitate
• D. Packed red blood cells

Answer: (D)

Anemia is addressed by increasing the number of red blood cells to boost the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. In someone with edema or fluid overload, it’s important to minimize added fluid. Packed red blood cells provide concentrated red cells with most of the plasma removed, so they raise hemoglobin and oxygen delivery with far less corresponding fluid than whole blood or plasma products. The other products serve different needs—platelets for platelet counts, fresh frozen plasma for clotting factors, and cryoprecipitate for fibrinogen and related factors—each adds volume and doesn’t treat anemia. So the best choice to correct anemia without worsening fluid overload is packed red blood cells.