Autologous platelet-rich gel in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers: A retrospective study

This study retrospectively investigated the effectiveness and safety of autologous platelet-rich gel (APRG) for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU). In this retrospective study, we reviewed the electronic medical records (EMR) of 72 patients with DFU. The patients were allocated to a treatment group (n = 36) or a control group (n = 36). The patients in both groups received standard care (SC) and dressing change. In addition, patients in the treatment group also received APRG. Patients in both groups were treated for 12 weeks. The outcomes were DFU healing time (days), length of hospital stay (days), healing rate of DFU, DFU surface area reduction (cm(2)), and adverse events. We assessed and analyzed the outcomes before and after the 12-week treatment period. After treatment, there were significant differences in DFU healing time (P = .04), length of hospital stay (P = .04), DFU healing rate, and DFU surface area reduction (P < .01). Regarding safety, no EMR reported adverse events in this study. The results of this study showed that the APRG may benefit patients with DFU. However, high-quality prospective randomized controlled trials are required to verify these findings.