Glossary
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)
PRP is plasma with a platelet concentration above whole-blood baseline, produced by centrifuging a patient's own blood. It is autologous, prepared at the point of care, and defined by the protocol used rather than by any single standard.
Figure
The double spin
Figure. The first spin separates. The second concentrates. Concentration factor comes almost entirely from the second spin, and so does the risk of damaging the platelets you went to the trouble of collecting.
In practice
The absence of a standard is the central operational fact about PRP. Concentration factor, leukocyte content, and activation state all vary with the protocol, and a product described simply as PRP could be almost anything.
See also
- Platelet concentration factorConcentration factor is how many times the platelet count in the final product exceeds the patient's whole-blood baseline, written for example as 5x.
- Leukocyte-rich PRP (L-PRP)Leukocyte-rich PRP retains the white cells that concentrate alongside platelets in the buffy coat.
- AutologousAutologous means derived from the patient's own body.