Treating dog wounds with PRP
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PRP is a blood derivative obtained from the centrifugation of patient’s blood. Although many commercial PRP kits are based on a single centrifugation of blood, very often this protocol is not sufficient to obtain a preparation with an adequate platelet concentration, which can also limit the effectiveness of the blood derivative.
Our kits are based on a double centrifugation process, the first one is used to separate the plasma (the upper part) from the red blood cells (the lower part).
The area of separation between the plasma and the red blood cells is called the interface or buffy coat. The next step is to collect all the separated plasma up to the interface, trying as much as possible not to contaminate it with red blood cells.
The collected plasma undergoes further centrifugation so that platelets are deposited at the bottom to form a platelet pellet. At this point it is sufficient to reduce the volume of plasma so that the platelets deposited on the bottom can be resuspended and concentrated in a small amount of plasma.
The importance of resuspending platelets in plasma lies in the fact that it contains growth factors and active molecules that also contribute to the regenerative process.
The concentration process is fundamental and impact positively the efficacy of the final product, considering that platelets release growth factors in a concentration-dependent manner.
There are other PRP kits on the market, but how to choose and how to evaluate the quality of a blood derivative?
A very good quality PRP, must be produced with a correct centrifugation protocol and the platelets must be resuspended in a reduced amount of plasma compared to the whole blood collected, in order to obtain a high platelet concentration and preserve active molecules and growth factors.
Another clue to understand the quality of PRP through an observational nalaysis is the color. Plasma is typically yellow, so a plasma rich in platelets should tend to that shade. We know very well that in practice this is not always the case:
A lipidic blood, the species from which it is taken or the high variability within the same species (as in the dog), the platelet concentration obtained, the contamination with red blood cells, will show a prp with a different coloration.
The more the color is inclined to red, the greater is the contamination with red blood cells, probably due to an incorrect separation of blood. However it can be also due to hemolyzation, usually cause by the pathological condition of the animal or to the modalities used for blood collection.
A "contaminated" PRP with red blood cells causes pain in the patient and increased the inflammatory response so much that sometimes that can represent an obstacle to the regeneration process. It is therefore necessary to have a correct preparation procedure that can be repeated every time, in order to ensure the lack of red blood cells and to get as close as possible to the desired result.
Prp has several applications, from the best-known intrarticular, to the ocular one in the form of eye drops (like serum), and also for wound care.
Ematik Ready, the prp kit for wound care
For infiltration and ocular applications, there are many kits that allow you to obtain a prp in liquid form, but with different platelet concentration factors. The issue becomes more angular for wound care. In this case a liquid prp is applied by dripping it on the lesion or using it in gel form. This type of applications however, have two limitations:
- Bendages and gauzes absorb PRP, impairing the release of growth facots from PRP to the wound
- It is not always possible to use bandages or because of the dimension of the wound or because of the anatomical location of it.
OurEmatik Ready is a resorbable patch that combines the PRP with a three-dimensional scaffold composed by biopolymers with bacteriostatic action, on which the cells can grow, release extracellular matrix and produce new tissue. In this way the prp is not dispersed, and it is released over time during the absorbtion process.
Moreover, it is not necessary to bandage the wound and every part of the patch will be reabsorbed in 5 days after application on average. The three-dimensional support allows to obviate the problem of missing tissue for removal of masses or for those wounds difficult to suture, precisely because the patch can be sutured with the flaps of the wound, without stressing the tissues itself performing difficult edges conjunctions or causing surgical dehiscence.
Conclusions
To produce the PRP in an outpatient clinic may seem a long procedure, but it’s not always like this and certainly the benefits outweigh the artificiality of the preparation, especially when guided and sterile kits for PRP production are used. PRP in fact allows to reduce the time of regeneration of a wound, often with a single application with no side effects, because the preparation is autologous.
The kits usually contain everything necessary for the production of the blood derivative and its application, with the indications and the correct protocols the operation becomes much easier, the experience of the veterinarian will do the rest.
By reducing the healing time, the veterinarian will be able to reduce the time for treatment and therefore the costs, even for the owner of the animal.
This kind of application will guarantee to the pet’s owner a complete recovery in fast times, also with exceptioanl aesthetic results.
