Blood plasma treatment (ACP)

A novel form of blood plasma treatment – ACP – is now available in Estonia. The therapy involves injecting a patient’s own blood plasma into the affected site. This treatment may speed up the recovery process by up to 2-3 times.

Blood plasma treatment may be given both during surgical procedure and during recovery. The procedure involves the use of a special syringe to take some blood from the vein of the patient; centrifuge will then be used to separate plasma from blood, which will then be injected into the affected site. The procedure will be repeated up to three times at two-week intervals. Blood plasma treatment can be used to treat patients suffering from tendonitis, injuries, various inflammations, pathological condition of cartilage or just to speed up the tissue healing process in the affected site by up to 2-3 times. Blood plasma treatment may be highly beneficial for athletes as well as patients suffering from chronic overuse disorders (tendonitis), injuries, traumas of skeletal system and chronic overuse syndromes. The main advantage of blood plasma treatment over alternative methods (for example, local hormonal treatment, hyaluronic acid therapy, physiotherapy, surgical intervention, etc.) is the non-existent risk of complications. There will be no rejection response as the patient’s own tissue will be used during the treatment. There is minimum risk of infection as plasma contains immune cells that prevent the onset of infections.

According to the Clinical Manager of Ortopeedia Arsti AS, Dr. Armin Heiman, autologous conditioned plasma treatment represents a rapidly growing global trend. “Athletes show great interest in this form of treatment as for them fast recovery, free from any complications, is highly important,” Dr. Heiman explained. “Today, our company is the only one in Estonia to offer blood plasma treatment to our patients but I’m quite sure that other hospitals will also offer this treatment very soon “.

WHAT IS “AUTOLOGOUS CONDITIONED PLASMA (ACP)”?

The ACP method of treatment involves the use of a concentration of thrombocytes and growth factors in plasma, obtained from a small quantity of the patient’s own blood. Elevated levels of growth factors will improve the cell healing rate in the affected site and speed up the recovery process. The method is also known as “platelet rich plasma (PRP)”, which is used to treat injuries.

HOW DOES THE ACP PROCESS WORK?

Small quantity of blood will be taken from a vein on the patient’s hand, using a special patented syringe with a small needle. The blood will then be treated in centrifuge to separate thrombocytes and other beneficial growth factors found in blood. Plasma, which contains the latter, will then be injected into the treated site. The procedure will usually require about 20 minutes to be completed.

COULD I BENEFIT FROM ACP TREATMENT?

Patients will have to consult a specialist who can tell them whether they could benefit from this method of treatment, considering their injury. If blood thinning or anti-inflammatory medications are taken, this must be stopped when your doctor rules in favour of ACP treatment.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS ACCOMPANYING ACP TREATMENT?

Preparations made of the patient’s own blood will be used for ACP treatment, which means that bad complications are extremely rare.