INTRODUCTION
Burns can be either minor medical problems or potentially life-threatening emergencies, and their treatment depends on the location and severity of the injury.1 Although minor burns can be treated on an outpatient basis, some burn injuries require hospital admission, specialized medical treatment, and months of comprehensive care and follow up.2 Sometimes an effective treatment is a significant challenge for healthcare specialists and some approaches involve clinically invasive procedures or incur a significant economic burden to public health systems.3
Platelet-based autologous products such as platelet rich plasma (PRP) are gaining the attention of clinicians and researchers.4 Several studies demonstrate that intradermal PRP injections and PRP-derived fibrin clot application aid in cutaneous repair and re-epithelization after burns.5-10 Burns of different etiology have been treated with PRP alone or in combination with other procedures, and results indicate a significant recovery of the structural and functional integrity of skin.11 However, there are certain limitations of the PRP technique, such as the autologous blood volume that must be obtained to prepare sufficient therapeutic product needed for extensive burn coverage. In addition, PRP treatment follows repeated sessions overtime on a weekly basis; hence the patient is subjected to numerous blood extractions and interventions in the hospital setting.12 This reduces the quality of life of the patient and presents cumulative costs for health systems. Another limitation is the localized use of PRP since it is intradermally injected or placed as a small fibrin clot over the burn bed, which reduces the bioavailability of growth factors. In fact, as burns are usually painful lesions, invasive injections and repeated surface manipulation may provoke a great disturbance in the patient.
Plasma rich in growth factors technology (PRGF) is a specific type of PRP.13 The efficacy and safety of PRGF has been demonstrated in a multitude of clinical trials in various
Platelet-based autologous products such as platelet rich plasma (PRP) are gaining the attention of clinicians and researchers.4 Several studies demonstrate that intradermal PRP injections and PRP-derived fibrin clot application aid in cutaneous repair and re-epithelization after burns.5-10 Burns of different etiology have been treated with PRP alone or in combination with other procedures, and results indicate a significant recovery of the structural and functional integrity of skin.11 However, there are certain limitations of the PRP technique, such as the autologous blood volume that must be obtained to prepare sufficient therapeutic product needed for extensive burn coverage. In addition, PRP treatment follows repeated sessions overtime on a weekly basis; hence the patient is subjected to numerous blood extractions and interventions in the hospital setting.12 This reduces the quality of life of the patient and presents cumulative costs for health systems. Another limitation is the localized use of PRP since it is intradermally injected or placed as a small fibrin clot over the burn bed, which reduces the bioavailability of growth factors. In fact, as burns are usually painful lesions, invasive injections and repeated surface manipulation may provoke a great disturbance in the patient.
Plasma rich in growth factors technology (PRGF) is a specific type of PRP.13 The efficacy and safety of PRGF has been demonstrated in a multitude of clinical trials in various
