Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for chronic wounds

Review question

What is autologous platelet-rich plasma and is it useful for treating chronic wounds?

Background

Chronic wounds (or ulcers) are breaks in the skin that do not heal, or require a long time to heal, and frequently recur. Chronic wounds include pressure ulcers, venous leg ulcers, arterial ulcers, neurotrophic ulcers, and foot ulcers in people with diabetes. Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a potential wound healing treatment because it has components such as fibrin (a substance produced in the liver that makes the blood clot) and high concentrations of growth factors that are thought to help healing. We reviewed the evidence on the effect of autologous PRP on wound healing in people aged 18 years or older with chronic wounds from any cause (such as pressure ulcers, arterial ulcers, venous ulcers). We also included patients with wounds of mixed aetiology e.g. mixed arterial-venous ulcers.

What we found

We included 10 randomised clinical trials, with a total of 442 participants (mean age 61 years and 42% women). Four included studies recruited people with a range of chronic wounds; three studies enrolled people with venous leg ulcers; and the other three studies included people with diabetes who had foot ulcers. The median length of treatment was 12 weeks. All but three trials reported the sources of funding. Four of the studies received financial support from companies manufacturing PRP devices.

The results were non-conclusive as to whether autologous PRP improves the healing of chronic wounds generally compared with standard treatment. Autologous PRP may increase the healing of foot ulcers in people with diabetes compared with standard care, but it is unclear if autologous PRP has an effect on other types of chronic wound. Three studies reported wound complications such as infection or dermatitis, but results showed no difference in the risk of adverse events in people treated with PRP or standard care. These findings are based on low quality evidence due to the small number of studies and patients included, and their poor methodological quality.

This Plain Language Summary is up to date as of 16 June 2015.

Authors' conclusions: 

PRP may improve the healing of foot ulcers associated with diabetes, but this conclusion is based on low quality evidence from two small RCTs. It is unclear whether PRP influences the healing of other chronic wounds. The overall quality of evidence of autologous PRP for treating chronic wounds is low. There are very few RCTs evaluating PRP, they are underpowered to detect treatment effects, if they exist, and are generally at high or unclear risk of bias. Well designed and adequately powered clinical trials are needed.

Read the full abstract...
Background: 

Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a treatment that contains fibrin and high concentrations of growth factors with the potential to improve the healing of chronic wounds. This is the first update of a review first published in 2012.

Objectives: 

To determine whether autologous PRP promotes the healing of chronic wounds.

Search strategy: 

In June 2015, for this first update, we searched the Cochrane Wounds Specialised Register; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library): Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations); Ovid EMBASE; and EBSCO CINAHL. We also searched for ongoing and unpublished clinical trials in the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (searched January 2015). We did not impose any restrictions with respect to language, date of publication, or study setting.

Selection criteria: 

We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared autologous PRP with placebo or alternative treatments for any type of chronic wound in adults. We did not apply any date or language restrictions.

Data collection and analysis: 

We used standard Cochrane methodology, including two reviewers independently selecting studies for inclusion, extracting data, and assessing risk of bias.

Main results: 

The search identified one new RCT, making a total of 10 included RCTs (442 participants, 42% women). The median number of participants per RCT was 29 (range 10 to 117). Four RCTs recruited people with a range of chronic wounds; three RCTs recruited people with venous leg ulcers, and three RCTs considered foot ulcers in people with diabetes. The median length of treatment was 12 weeks (range 8 to 40 weeks).

It is unclear whether autologous PRP improves the healing of chronic wounds generally compared with standard treatment (with or without placebo) (risk ratio (RR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.95 to 1.50; I2 = 27%, low quality evidence, 8 RCTs, 391 participants). Autologous PRP may increase the healing of foot ulcers in people with diabetes compared with standard care (with or without placebo) (RR 1.22, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.49; I2 = 0%, low quality evidence, 2 RCTs, 189 participants). It is unclear if autologous PRP affects the healing of venous leg ulcers (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.27; I2 = 0% ). It is unclear if there is a difference in the risk of adverse events in people treated with PRP or standard care (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.29 to 3.88; I2 = 0%, low quality evidence from 3 trials, 102 participants).