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.