Platelet rich plasma: hope or hype?

Abstract

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous product consisting of higher platelet levels than native whole blood. It has been hailed as a safe product with a multitude of potential uses in promoting healing with developing applications in numerous fiends including Dermatology, Plastic Surgery, Orthopedics, and Sports Medicine. It is currently administered in many clinical settings, usually as an adjuvant to other standards of therapy. Despite being a biologic product, PRP treatment is being offered to consumers without regulatory oversight, clear guidelines for its preparation, or evidence for its efficacy. This review provides an overview of PRP and current available evidence for its clinical use. The review was constructed based on searches of PubMed as well as Google, a search engine that is easily accessible by consumers. The authors subsequently chose articles thought to be demonstrative of the breadth of evidence on PRP preparation, common applications, and regulation. PRP has promising therapeutic applications, however, there remains much to be learned about this new and increasingly popular product including indications for use, efficacy, and recommended composition and preparation methods. Standardization of operating procedures, research protocols, and data collection are needed to gather more evidence for all of its potential clinical applications. There is therefore a role for the transfusion medicine community to aid in establishing guidance for current practice to ensure safe, appropriate, and effective use.