PRP (Platlet Rich Plasma) or Did Dracula Know Best?

We all know the story behind Dracula, or at least the Hollywood story. The name invokes a savage, bloodthirsty monster that lost no sleep draining his victims of their life source. He is depicted as being so pale and pasty that makes red headed individuals look tan. I mean no offense to the red headed population. We all know that most people would kill to have gorgeous red hair. Anyways, if we were to do a E True Hollywood story on Mr. Dracula what would we find?

I imagine we would find that he was actually a brilliant individual who knew the power of blood. What makes blood so powerful and desirable?

  1. Blood contains RBCs (red blood cells), which carry Oxygen, a vital molecule necessary for cellular activity and thus life.
  2. Blood also carries platelets, which are more than just clotting factors. Platelets carry the necessary agents and building blocks for tissue growth. These agents are growth factors and are called cytokines.

Now Im saying for us all to run around and start exsanguinating others to access the Power of the blood. Drinking blood does not access and unlock this power. However, there are ways that this can be done and the medical field has tapped into this concept. You may have heard of PRP (platelet rich plasma) which is the process of taking ones own blood, extracting the platelets, and then injecting them back into an area of that individual. Recently this process has been added to allografts (such as in bone grafting in foot/ankle procedures); the most recent being Biocue.

The process of Biocue:

  • Bone marrow aspirate is taken from the patient, which is then spun down to isolate the powerful platelets.
  • This platelet rich fluid is then mixed with a bone allograft, which is then implanted into the area of interest of the foot or ankle.
  • The fluid may also be directly injected around an area of interest if no bone allograft is to be used.

This is just another weapon that your Podiatrist has available to him/her. Please note however, that not all tools are equal and everyone reacts to these tools differently.

If you are in need of foot and ankle care, please contact Dr. Bowman at 713-467-8886 or visit www.houstonfootspecialists.com.

Photo Credit:natclegg via pixabay.com

Category: General

Tags: Feet, prp