Safety and efficacy of platelet rich plasma in the management of diabetic foot ulcer

Abstract

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers continue to pose a significant global issue despite the advances made in the management of diabetes. It causes major foot complications if they are not addressed properly. While several advancements have taken place in wound care management, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) promises to offer new hope in its management, aiding in cellular and tissue regeneration. Hence the present study was carried out to determine the safety and effectiveness of PRP in the management of diabetic foot ulcers in comparison to conventional dressing.Methods: This prospective study was focused on 50 diabetic foot ulcers, carried out in a surgical unit of Onsite Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu from November 2018 to November 2019. Patients were divided into two groups group A received conventional ordinary dressing (n=25, 50%) and group B received PRP dressing (n=25, 50%). The mean follow up period was 6 weeks.Results: The present study observed that participants receiving PRP showed better wound contraction of 33.74% than the group receiving only conventional treatment with a mean wound contraction of was 12.82%. In addition, the duration required for wound contraction in the PRP group was short (mean value 4.488 cm) compared to the conventional dressing group (mean value 6.188 cm). The PRP group was found to be more effective in wound healing with fewer complications, less infection, exudates and pain.Conclusions: PRP is a powerful tool for the treatment of chronic wounds and very promising for diabetic foot wounds and it enables healing and reduces amputation rates, infection and exudates.