Integrating Regenerative Medicine in Chronic Wound Management: A Single-Center Experience

Area of Science:

• Regenerative Medicine
• Wound Healing
• Cell Therapy

Background:

• Chronic wounds pose significant clinical and healthcare challenges.
• Multidisciplinary management is crucial due to factors like infection and poor circulation.
• Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) show promise for wound repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and autologous adipose tissue transfer in chronic wound healing.
• To assess wound area reduction and healing time in patients unresponsive to conventional treatments.

Main Methods:

• A prospective observational study of 31 patients with chronic wounds.
• Standard debridement followed by PRP infiltration and/or autologous fat grafting.
• Wound healing monitored via clinical and photographic evaluation, with wound area reduction as the primary outcome.

Main Results:

• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy was administered to all patients; five received combined PRP and fat grafting.
• 64% of patients achieved >80% wound area reduction, with 48.3% complete healing in a mean of 49 days.
• Lower limb lesions were most common (84%), with venous insufficiency, diabetes, and arterial insufficiency as primary etiologies.

Conclusions:

• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is a safe, effective, and adaptable treatment for chronic wounds.
• Autologous adipose tissue transfer did not demonstrate additional benefits when combined with PRP.
• PRP therapy shows potential for inclusion in standard chronic wound treatment protocols.