Are you using the right equipment in PRP treatments? Using PRP-Approved blood collecting tubes and anticoagulants can drastically affect the final result.
There is no doubt that the practitioner’s skill, eye for aesthetics, and clinical experience play a principle role in achieving the best results in cosmetic surgeries and injectables. However, in certain treatments – for example platelet rich plasma (PRP) – it is the product itself that most heavily affects the final outcome.
The consistency, design and precision of PRP systems are critical in ensuring the integrity of the PRP product. For this reason, it is essential to use an approved PRP harvesting system to achieve optimum results – in short, a compromised system means compromised results.
Regen PRP is a complete system designed to deliver an increased concentration of bioactive factors and proteins. This is done via a concentration of platelets from the patient’s blood.
Each component of the Regen system has been optimised to secure a quality and effective product, for significant regenerative results. Substituting Regen- approved materials for normal blood collecting tubes, or different anticoagulants, can alter the pH and behaviour of the final product.
Maintaining plasma pH
Plasma pH must be maintained during blood collection in PRP treatment, in order to prevent platelet deterioration or acidosis. The type of anticoagulant used, as well as the material of the blood collecting tubes, greatly affects the resulting pH. ‘IVD, ADTA and ACD tubes used for PRP preparation is forbidden in Europe,’ explains RegenLab Product Manager in Switzerland, Solange Vischer. ‘Doctors cannot use normal blood collecting tubes for harvesting PRP.’
A study by Pták et al. (2000), entitled “Plasma pH and anticoagulant solutions used in the plasmapheresis method of blood collection from donors”, found the pH of plasma should be maintained at slightly alkaline levels during plasma transfusions.
“Maintaining the pH value of fresh frozen plasma slightly above the physiological range of blood pH prevents, in particular during massive plasma transfusions, the possibility of deterioration of acidosis or its development,” the paper states.
According to Vischer, preventing acidosis is key in PRP preparation, and the use of certain anticoagulants and collecting tubes can affect this. “ACD may induce acidification of the platelet preparation, whereas citrate tends to slightly induce alkalosis, which is preferred,” Vischer says. “Also, THT tubes incur a mean pH of 7.6 in PRP preparation, compared to 7.7 and 7.8 with BCT tubes used in Regen PRP.”
Clinicians must be aware that not all blood collecting tubes are the same. Some, for example path tubes, are designed for the routine collection of blood for analysis and should not be used for reinjecting. The optimised Regen PRP equipment eliminates any room for doubt in the harvesting and reinjection of autologous PRP.
Platelet aggregation and function
The choice of anticoagulant also affects platelet aggregation and function. A study by Richard Aster (1966) called “The Anticoagulants of Choice for Platelet Transfusions” found there were different platelet recoveries in transfusion recipients when using various anticoagulant solutions.
The research showed EDTA recoveries averaged 27 percent; ACD recoveries averaged 37 percent (range 34 percent to 41 percent); and citrate solution recoveries averaged 62 percent.
“When I worked in hematology in the Geneva University Hospital, we avoided using EDTA as an anticoagulant, which may be because it alters the cellular function,” Vischer says.
Treatment with PRP kick starts collagen production and angiogenesis in the dermis. The Regen harvesting system gives the optimal concentration of platelets required for angiogenesis. This was found to be 1.5 x 108 PLTs per μl, as identified by Giusti I et al. (2009).
Regenerative medicine is fast gaining traction in the aesthetic arena. Achieving the finest results is paramount in preserving and continuing the growing reputation of PRP capabilities.
To protect against product deterioration, and ensure optimum results in PRP treatment, the use of PRP-approved equipment is an unequivocal necessity.
Quite simply, in undertaking treatment, patients should feel assured their doctor is using the best possible system to achieve the best possible results.
For more information or enquiries visit www.amsl.com.au
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