Publication:

A comparative study on the efficacy of platelet rich plasma vs conventional wound dressing in diabetic foot ulcers

Background The pathogenetic pathways and morbidity associated with diabetic foot ulcers render it a difficult clinical entity to manage. Newer biological methods such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are being investigated as improvements on conventional treatment techniques such as saline gauze antiseptic dressings.

Methods The present study is a randomised controlled trial, with 25 subjects each in the PRP dressing and conventional dressing arms. It was conducted in the General Surgery wards of a tertiary care hospital among patients suffering from foot ulcers due to diabetes mellitus. PRP dressings were done biweekly for 4 weeks before final wound assessment.

Results Most of the study population was males of more than 50 years of age. The lesions are predominantly on the plantar aspect. The inciting factor was trauma in around two-thirds of the cases. Nearly 80% of the subjects were on insulin for treatment. In the patients receiving treatment using PRP dressings, the wound contracted by more than 34% which was statistically significantly higher than those receiving conventional dressings.

Conclusions Newer biological methods such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) dressings offer a relatively novel safe and efficient technique for management of diabetic foot ulcers, compared to conventional methods.