What type of blood components are used to replace clotting factors?

Fresh frozen plasma is the correct answer because it contains a significant concentration of clotting factors, including factors I, II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, and XII, which are crucial for the normal functioning of the coagulation cascade. When a patient has a deficiency of these clotting factors due to conditions like liver disease, vitamin K deficiency, or when they require urgent reversal of anticoagulation, administering fresh frozen plasma helps restore the necessary components for clot formation and helps to prevent or manage bleeding.

In contrast, red blood cells are primarily responsible for oxygen transport rather than clotting factor replacement. Platelets play a key role in the clotting process by promoting aggregation and forming a plug at the site of vascular injury; however, they do not substitute for the specific clotting factors found in plasma. Whole blood consists of all the components of blood, including red blood cells, plasma, and platelets, but it is not specifically designed to address deficiencies in clotting factors and is not commonly used for this purpose in a clinical setting.