The Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma Dressing for Chronic Nonhealing Ulcers: A Meta-Analysis of 15 Randomized Controlled Trials

BACKGROUND: Several randomized controlled trials comparing platelet-rich plasma to standard wound care for chronic wounds have been published. Previous articles have revealed that the role of platelet-rich plasma in promoting chronic wound healing is uncertain. This quantitative meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate whether superior outcomes can be obtained by using platelet-rich plasma in nonhealing ulcers compared with traditional wound care. METHODS: The PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCO (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and Cochrane databases were searched through November of 2018 for randomized controlled trials comparing platelet-rich plasma to standard wound care for chronic wounds. For binary outcome measures, we calculated the risk ratio. The continuous outcomes were expressed as the mean differences. Subgroup analyses were also performed according to the type of chronic ulcer. RESULTS: Overall, 630 adult patients in 15 randomized controlled trials from 2000 to 2018 were included. The number of ulcers healed in the platelet-rich plasma group was higher than in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (risk ratio, 1.26; 95 percent CI, 1.11 to 1.42; p = 0.0003). During the fourth week of follow-up, the number of ulcers healed in the platelet-rich plasma group was significantly greater than in the control group (risk ratio, 3.50; 95 percent CI, 1.80 to 6.81; p = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Platelet-rich plasma is a valuable and safe treatment dressing for chronic nonhealing ulcers; it is simple to prepare and has remarkable effects. Further high-quality prospective studies are necessary to validate these results. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, II.