Treatment of pressure ulcers in patients with spinal cord injury: Conventional surgery vs. cellular therapy

Relapse and recurrence rates of pressure injuries (PIs) are very high in spinal cord injured patients. That is the reason why alternative therapies, such the stem cells derived from bone marrow, have been developed.

To compare this new technique of infiltration-infusion of mononuclear cells from bone marrow with conventional surgery.

A retrospective study was carried out in patients with spinal cord injuries who had PIs, category III/IV, in the pelvic area, during a 14-year follow-up period.

One group was treated with conventional surgery and, in the other group, mononuclear cells were infused.

One hundred and forty-nine patients were registered, 63 (42.3%) in the conventional surgery group and 86 (57.7%) in the mononuclear cell group.

A comparative study between these 2 groups was carried out. There were no significant differences in ulcer healing in the first 6 months, but 6 months and one-year post-treatment, they were found. At 6 months, no patient in the conventional surgery group showed dehiscence or fistulization of the wound and, one year after surgery, only 3.17% recurred in the conventional group. In addition, there was a statistically significant relationship between days of hospitalization and the type of bacterial contamination and the intervention group.

Bone marrow mononuclear cell infusion-infiltration is an alternative treatment for PIs and fistula during the first 6 months, instead of conventional surgery. However, in the medium-long term, conventional surgery is more effective.