Efficacy and Safety of Platelet-Rich Plasma for Patients with Diabetic Ulcers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Significance: Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been suggested to be effective for wound healing. However, clinical evidence for its use in patients with diabetic ulcer remains inconsistent. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PRP in patients with diabetic ulcer. Recent Advances: Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified via systematic search of PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Knowledge databases. Results were pooled using a random-effects model. The primary outcome of the study was the healing rate of ulcers in patients with PRP, when compared with controls. Secondary outcomes included the percentage of ulcer area reduction, recurrence rate, and amputation rate. Critical Issues: Eight RCTs that involved 431 participants were included. Compared with controls, PRP was associated with a significantly increased ratio of complete ulcer healing (odds ratio [OR] = 3.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.91-7.45, I-2 (=) 42.2%) and reduced areas of ulcers (standard mean difference = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.27-1.45, I-2 (=) 0.0%). No differences were observed between patients allocated to PRP or controls, in terms of the outcomes of recurrence rate (OR = 3.32, 95% CI = 0.41-27.18, I-2 (=) 66.3%) or amputation rate (OR = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.15-1.28). The results of the trial sequence analyses revealed that the cumulative Z-curve crossed both the traditional boundary (p = 0.05) and trial sequential monitoring boundary. Future Directions: Our findings suggest that PRP may improve ulcer healing without significant adverse effects for patients with diabetic ulcers.