Effects of ozone autohemotherapy on blood VEGF, TGF-β and PDGF levels after finger replantation.

BACKGROUND

The study aimed to confirm the important role of ozone autologous blood therapy (autohemotherapy) in promoting successful finger replantation and its possible influence mechanism.

METHODS

A total of 150 patients with severed finger replantation admitted to our hospital from March 2018 to March 2019 were selected. Patients were divided into observation group and control group according to different treatment methods. The observation group received additional ozone autologous blood treatment in the control group. We compared the number of white blood cells, visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, and the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in the two groups of patients before and after intervention. We also assessed the hospitalization time and survival time of the replanted finger in the two groups, as well as blood flow values (Vbcf).

RESULTS

Compared with the observation group on the 1st day after the operation and the control group on the 7th day after the operation, the average white blood cell count of the observation group on the 7th day after the operation was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the VAS score was significantly decreased (P<0.05).48 hours after the operation, the average Vbcf value of the replanted finger was lower than that of the contralateral healthy finger (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the Vbcf value of the replanted fingers in the observation group was higher, and the hospitalization time and finger survival time were shorter (P<0.05). At 7 days after operation, the serum VEGF, TGF-β and PDGF levels in the observation group were significantly higher than the 1 day after operation, before the operation and the control group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Intervention with ozone autohemotherapy after severed finger replantation can significantly increase the number of white blood cells, relieve postoperative pain, and improve the survival rate of the finger body. Ozone autohemotherapy also improves the microcirculation after anastomosis of the severed finger by up-regulating the expression of VEGF, TGF-β and PDGF in blood.