Equine Platelet Enhancement Therapy (E-PET, formerly fPRP) is a blood filtration system which is used to obtain a platelet-rich concentrate to aid healing in horses.

Platelets are well known to aid in the clotting process, but in recent years it has become increasingly evident that platelets contain many growth factors that mediate the healing response to injury as shown in the table below.

Once platelets are activated by tissue injury or inflammation, they release granules to enhance the clotting process and facilitate the inflammatory and subsequent healing responses. Among the many growth factors inside the wound, PDGF, IGF and TGF-beta1 have been well studied and are known to play important roles. PDGF, in addition to its effects on cell proliferation, is an activator of collagenase, which promotes the re-modelling of tissue. IGF plays roles in both proliferation and differentiation. TGF-beta1 activates fibroblasts to form procollagen, which results in deposition of collagen within the wound.

E-PET concentrate is used to promote wound, bone healing and ligament/tendon repair. In wounds it accelerates epithelial differentiation and produces well organised tissue to enhance wound healing, especially in problematic lower limb injuries. Histological and histomorphometric evaluation has shown it to enhance early bone healing. E-PET has also been shown to enhance the healing response and the quality of repair in treatment of tendonitis and suspensory ligament desmitis as reported during the American Equine Practitioners conference in San Diego, Dec. 2008.

One of the practical limiting factors in the use of autologous platelet concentrate has been the requirement to use a centrifuge in the preparation process. The E-PET system, developed by Pall Corporation, the largest dedicated filtration, separation and purification company in the world, is the only platelet concentration device that does not require a centrifuge. This simple, disposable kit uses gravity filtration to gently prepare an autologous platelet concentrate in the clinic or in the field.

Key to the success of this system is the porous layered structured filter material with the proprietary processing solutions which have been optimised specifically to trap equine platelets. Importantly the E-PET system eliminates concerns about immunogenic reactions because the therapy comes from the animal being treated. E-PET use minimises the chances of infection because the system is functionally closed thereby minimizing the potential to introduce contaminants.

Procedure
Harvesting the platelet concentrate is a very straightforward procedure taking approximately 10-15 minutes. Anticoagulated venous blood taken from the patients is mixed with a capture solution in the collection bag before being passed through Pall's cell harvest device where platelets are captured. Back-flushing the harvest solution through the filter recovers the platelet concentrate into a syringe. The procedure requires no power source or specialist equipment.

Buy Now!