title: A case report on the use of sustained release platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of chronic pressure ulcers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic pressure ulcers affect patient health, emotional state, and quality of life, causing considerable morbidity and mortality in addition to contributing to significant health care costs from lengthy hospitalizations to advanced home care and surgical care costs. The conventional treatment of these wounds can be slow due to their chronic inflammatory state and the senescence of local reparative cells. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has been growing as a viable treatment alternative for a number of clinical applications and has potential benefit for use in chronic wounds. The sustained release of large quantities of autologous growth factors, cytokines, and other mediators found in PRP plus the favorable mononuclear cell profile of PRP may help us to stimulate wound healing and resolve chronic inflammation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three veterans with spinal cord injury (SCI), presenting with chronic stage IV pressure ulcers, were treated with a sustained release PRP therapy to stimulate wound healing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PRP treatment consistently resulted in the formation of granulation tissue and improved vascularity for each of the three patients treated, while reducing the overall ulcer area and volume.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The controlled release of growth factors from PRP demonstrated a positive stimulatory effect on the healing rate of chronic pressure ulcers in individuals with SCI.
authors.affiliation: Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Service, Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, Richmond, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Sell
authors.forename: Jeffery J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Ericksen
authors.forename: Timothy W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Linda R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Droste
authors.forename: Mohammed B A
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Bhuiyan
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Gater
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053657:Platelet-Rich Plasma; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000150:complications; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D014945:Wound Healing