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Last week I attended the inaugural Cellular, Acellular, and Matrix-like Product (CAMP) Summit. It was a very interesting and well-run meeting. I will digress to mention the acronym “CAMP” which is gaining traction over the more awkward (and possibly obsolete) Cellular and/or Tissue Based Products (CTPs), but CTP is currently the name recognized by the ASTM standards organization. This situation is made more complex by the fact that nearly everyone including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) tends to erroneously refer to these as “skin substitutes.” It is somehow fitting that this chaotic field, we can’t even agree on a name. I do not have a dog in the fight over naming conventions. I haven’t decided what term to use because there is no way to please everyone.

I might have more to say about the CAMP Summit, but for now I will comment only on the patient selection algorithm. In a full day of beautifully presented talks, the ideal algorithm for the use of CAMPs was discussed in detail. This includes the requirements for patient assessment, wound bed preparation, etc. I would summarize that ideal process as follows:

Algorithm for CAMP Selection

Sadly, I think the second algorithm is what is actually happening. It is unfortunate that we aren’t talking about what is really going on.

Actual Algorithm for CAMP Selection

The opinions, comments, and content expressed or implied in my statements are solely my own and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of Intellicure or any of the boards on which I serve.