Comparison of Platelet Rich Plasma and Normal Saline Dressing Effectiveness in the Improvement of Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Diabetes is a chronic disease that is accompanied by some complications, such as diabetic foot ulcers, which account for 50,000-60,000 amputations annually. The non-treatment of the complications caused by these ulcers would result in significant costs. Regarding this, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of platelet rich plasma (PRP) dressing with that of normal saline dressing in the improvement of diabetic wounds
Materials and Methodgy: This clinical trial was conducted on 60 diabetic patients with grades 1 and 2 diabetic foot ulcers based on Wagner classification, who referred to Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan, Iran. After the collection of the demographic data, the patients were visited by an infectious disease specialist and entered in the study in case of meeting the inclusion criteria. Subsequently, the participants were randomly assigned into two groups of PRP and normal saline dressing. The two groups were examined in terms of the depth and area of the wound at the beginning and end of the first, second, and third weeks of the intervention. The data were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test, Chi-square test, and t-test.
Out of the 60 patients referring to Shahid Beheshti Hospital, 10 patients were excluded from the study. Therefore, the study was continued with 50 patients divided equally into two groups. According to the results, 45 males had type 2 diabetes mellitus, and the rest suffered from type 1 diabetes. The mean disease duration was 12.78±6.76 years. Furthermore, 41 and 9 patients received insulin injections and oral medications, respectively. The mean glycosylated hemoglobin and fasting blood glucose were 12.28±0.98 and 232.66 mmol/L, respectively, which were not statistically different between the two groups at the beginning of the study. However, there was a significant difference between the study groups at the end of the first, second, and third weeks in terms of the area and depth of wound. .
As the findings indicated, PRP dressing was more effective in improving the diabetic foot ulcer as compared to the normal saline dressing As the findings indicated, PRP dressing was more effective in improving the diabetic foot ulcer as compared to the normal saline dressing.