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Stimulation of repair in chronic, nonhealing, cutaneous ulcers using platelet-derived wound healing formula
D R Knighton1, K Ciresi, V D Fiegel
1Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Insights
Platelet-Derived Wound Healing Formula (PDWHF) significantly accelerates the healing of chronic, nonhealing skin ulcers. This study shows PDWHF promotes wound repair more effectively than placebo, aiding epithelialization.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Regenerative Medicine
- Wound Healing Research
Background:
- Chronic, nonhealing cutaneous ulcers present a significant clinical challenge.
- Previous research indicated that platelet-derived wound healing formula (PDWHF) stimulates wound repair.
- The efficacy of PDWHF in accelerating wound repair required further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively evaluate the acceleration of wound repair using PDWHF in chronic, nonhealing cutaneous ulcers.
- To compare the effectiveness of PDWHF against a placebo in a randomized, blinded trial.
Main Methods:
- A prospectively randomized, blinded trial was conducted with 32 patients suffering from chronic, nonhealing, lower extremity cutaneous wounds.
- Patients were treated for eight weeks with either PDWHF or a placebo.
- The primary endpoint for the study was wound epithelialization.
Main Results:
- Eighty-one percent of patients treated with PDWHF achieved epithelialization within eight weeks, compared to only 15% in the placebo group (p < 0.0001).
- Following a crossover to PDWHF treatment, all patients in the initial control group demonstrated epithelialization within an average of 7.1 weeks.
- Regression analysis confirmed statistically significant differences in epithelialization rates during the initial trial and post-crossover.
Conclusions:
- Topically applied platelet-derived growth factors demonstrate a highly significant effect on the repair of chronic, nonhealing cutaneous ulcers.
- PDWHF is an effective therapeutic agent for accelerating the healing of recalcitrant wounds.
- The findings support the use of PDWHF in clinical settings for managing chronic wound conditions.
Abstract:
Chronic, nonhealing, cutaneous ulcers are a serious clinical problem. The results of previous studies using platelet-derived wound healing formula (PDWHF), derived from autologous platelets, provided evidence that PDWHF actively stimulates repair of the wound. To test whether or not PDWHF accelerates repair, a prospectively randomized, blinded trial was conducted using a placebo control. A total of 32 patients with chronic, nonhealing, cutaneous wounds of the lower extremity were randomized and treated for eight weeks with PDWHF or placebo. Epithelialization of the wound was the end point of study. In the group who received treatment, 81 per cent of patients had epithelialization in eight weeks compared with 15 per cent in the control group (p less than 0.0001). After crossover to treatment with PDWHF, all of the patients in the control group had epithelialization in an average of 7.1 weeks. Regression analysis of the rates of epithelialization also showed significant differences during the initial eight week trial and showed no difference after crossover of the control group to therapy with PDWHF. Results from this study demonstrate a highly statistically significant effect of topically applied platelet-derived growth factors on the repair of chronic, nonhealing, cutaneous ulcers.