PRP Cuts Surgical Blood Loss (OTW)
Patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery experience markedly less blood loss when treated with platelet-rich plasma (PRP), according to Dr. Jeffrey Traina, an orthopaedic surgeon at Natchez Community Hospital.
PRP use is a relatively new therapy, Traina said, so scientific data is just being gathered: “My study looked at using platelet-rich plasma to help stop bleeding after total knee replacement surgery.” Platelet-rich plasma is a fairly simple product, made from the patient’s own blood. “Before the operation, we draw approximately four tablespoons of blood from the patient and process it,” Traina said. “At the conclusion of the operation, before we put our stitches in, we inject this into the wound.”