Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma to Treat Pressure Ulcers A Case Study

BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers (PUs) are prevalent and chronic wounds that require significant time to heal and the search for new treatments to reduce healing time is ongoing. We describe our experience with platelet-rich plasma to facilitate PU healing. CASE: An 86-year-old woman residing in a long-term care facility developed a grade III PU on her right heel that exhibited no signs of healing despite topical therapy over a 4-month period. Her PU was treated with platelet-rich plasma generated from her own blood, with a follow-up every 3 days for a period of 8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: The platelet-rich plasma-treated PU closed completely at 54 days. We found platelet-rich plasma easy to apply and inexpensive. Additional research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of this intervention in patients with nonhealing PUs.