Peripheral blood mononuclear cells enhance sacral wound healing in a patient with spinal cord injury: a case report

Pressure ulcers are one of the biggest problems in people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI); this could affect both acute patients and people with chronic SCI, and in the same way bed-ridden patients and people with greater autonomy due to friction and shear mechanisms they are subjected during wheelchair bed transfers. The occurrence of a pressure injury also limits the rehabilitation potential and functional self-recovery. In this case, we reported the story of a 50-year-old man with paraplegia who developed a sacral pressure ulcer in the first days after SCI. Despite the many types of advanced dressings used, the efforts made, the care in positioning, we were unable to close the wound for 5 months. According to plastic surgeons, we decided to use autologous Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMNC) injections to accelerate the process of healing and in a few weeks it led to the complete closure of the sacral wound. PBMNC could be an interesting tool to reduce closing times in addition to advanced dressing; it could be used both in patients during the first period of rehabilitation after SCI and in out-patient settings.