The Potential of Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Gel for Diabetic Foot Ulcer Care Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study aims to assess the safety and efficacy of APG as a novel treatment of DFU compared with standard treatment in older adult patients.Methods: Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) were searched using PubMed, Cochrane, Google Scholar, Wiley, and PlosOne. The keywords have been arranged using the Boolean operator, including autologous platelet-rich gel, DFU, and elderly. The data was screened by inclusion and exclusion criteria. The final inclusion study was analyzed and synthesized by tabulation, clusterization, contextual and thematic approach, and assessed for risk of bias using ROB 2.0. Meta-analysis was conducted by using Review Manager 5.4 and the Mantel Haenszel method.Results: Eight RCTs with 598 patients were eligible for the present analysis. Compared with standard care/conventional treatment, APG could significantly improve the healing wound in patients with diabetic foot ulcers (Relative risk (RR) 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22– 1.57, p < 0.0001), shortened the healing time (Mean difference [MD] − 16.97 days (95% CI: − 32.64 to − 1.29; p < 0.00001), shortened the length of hospital stay (MD= − 20.11, 95% CI: − 38.02, − 2.20; p = 0.03), and amputation rate (MD= 0.36, 95% CI: 0.16, 0.84; p = 0.02).Conclusion: APG treatment can better treat DFU in terms of duration of healing, wound healing, length of hospital stay, and amputation prevention than the standard treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]