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Platelet-Rich Plasma Versus Standard Care for Episiotomy Wound Healing in Postpartum Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Sponsor: Saint Andrew Hospital Constanta
Summary
This study looks at whether a treatment made from a patient's own blood, called platelet-rich plasma (PRP), can help heal the cut made during childbirth (episiotomy) better than standard care alone. PRP is prepared by drawing a small blood sample from the patient and spinning it in a centrifuge to concentrate the platelets, which contain natural healing factors. In this study, women who have an episiotomy during vaginal delivery will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group will receive a single injection of their own PRP at the wound site right after delivery, and the other group will receive the usual standard wound care. Neither group's care will otherwise differ. Researchers will follow each woman for 6 weeks after delivery, checking how well the wound is healing using a standard scoring tool (REEDA score), along with pain levels, any complications like infection or wound reopening, and how satisfied participants are with their recovery. The goal is to find out whether this simple, low-risk treatment using a woman's own blood can speed up healing and reduce discomfort after childbirth.
Official title: Efficacy of Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma in Enhancing Episiotomy Wound Healing and Reducing Postpartum Perineal Pain: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial (PRP-EpiHeal)
Key Details
Gender
FEMALE
Age Range
18 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
200
Start Date
2026-06-21
Completion Date
2028-12-30
Last Updated
2026-06-25
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
PRP is prepared from autologous peripheral venous blood collected from the participant at the time of delivery, processed by centrifugation to yield a platelet concentration above baseline whole-blood levels. The resulting PRP is administered as a single local injection into the tissue at the margins and base of the episiotomy wound, performed intraoperatively or immediately postpartum, before or shortly after suture closure. No additional PRP doses are administered after this single application, and no exogenous activating agents are used.
Standard Wound Care
Participants in this arm receive routine postpartum care of the episiotomy wound, consisting of local hygiene measures (perineal cleansing, sitz baths as per institutional practice) and standard analgesia for postpartum perineal pain, without any additional biological, pharmacological, or procedural intervention targeting wound healing. No PRP, growth factor concentrate, topical wound-healing agent, or other regenerative product is applied.
Locations (1)
Saint Andrew Hospital
Constanța, Constanța County, Romania