The effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma on donor site wound healing: a randomised crossover clinical trial

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether application of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) at split-thickness skin grafting (STSG) donor sites in patients with burns can promote wound healing. Method: A randomised crossover clinical trial was conducted involving participants, each with a donor site divided into two equal-sized areas for application of PRP and Vaseline gauze (VG) or with VG alone. Wound healing progress was evaluated at days 14, 21 and 30 postoperatively by measuring the healed area and comparing it between the PRP and VG groups. Results: The study included 20 participants, equally divided into the two groups. Both groups demonstrated significant improvement throughout the study period. The PRP group demonstrated a statistically significant acceleration in wound healing compared to the control group, at days 14 and 21 postoperatively. However, at 30 days' postoperatively, there was no statistically significant difference in healed area between the two groups. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that PRP has the potential to expedite the healing process and may help reduce hospital stay and wound infection rates, even though it did not result in a significantly larger overall healed area. The decision to use PRP should take into account various factors including resources, costs and desired clinical outcomes. Future research is needed to elucidate the role of PRP in the treatment of donor wounds.