OUTCOME OF USING PLATELET, PLASMA AND GROWTH FACTORS AS AN ORTHOBIOLOGIC DERIVATIVE TO AVOID INVASIVE SURGICAL PROCEDURES FOR TREATING KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS AMONG ELDERLY PATIENTS

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Background: The application of platelet, plasma and growth factors (PP&GF) is an intra-articular orthobiologic intervention that has been proven to be safe, having less systemic complications compared with conventional treatments and could constitute an option for treating elderly patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, an intermediate result of using PP&GF has yet to be well established.
 Objectives: This study aimed to report the survival analysis of 24-month follow-up treatment using PP&GF among elderly patients with knee OA as primary outcome. The secondary outcomes were functional improvement in terms of international knee documentation committee (IKDC) score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) score and visual analog scale (VAS) pain score.
 Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed among patients with knee OA (Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) grade I-IV), aged more than 65 years who did not respond to conservative treatments. All patients received intra-articular PP&GF treatment and were followed up to 24 months. Primary outcome was recorded as any surgical treatment at any time point post-PP&GF injection. Secondary outcomes including IKDC, WOMAC and VAS pain score were also assessed.
 Results: A total of 184 participants were enrolled in this study. The overall survival rate of patients not undergoing any surgical procedures during 24-month follow-up was 87.50%±2.44%. The mean IKDC, WOMAC and VAS pain scores were 39.59±0.58, 55.9±1.09 and 6.63±0.13, respectively at baseline while those at 24-month follow-up were 46.77±0.81, 38.32±1.33 and 4.92±0.13, respectively. The mean platelet concentrations before and after centrifugation were 1.85x105 cells/μL (1.20-3.36x105 cells/μL) and 1.4x106 cells/μL (5.80x105-3.5 x106) cells/μL, respectively, which showed final PP&GF products contained 6-10 times higher platelet concentration than those in the peripheral blood.
 Conclusion: Intra-articular injection of PP&GF is a potential treatment for severe knee OA especially among elderly patients. This method provided 87.50% survivorship from surgical intervention at 24-month follow-up. Most patients improved both pain and functional outcomes. We propose that the optimal preparation technique for PP&GF is the key step for improving patients’ clinical outcomes and regaining their quality of lives.