.svg)
Treatment of Pressure Injuries with CAMPs: An Evidence-Based Approach
Treatment of Pressure Injuries with CAMPs:
An Evidence-Based Approach
Venture Medical LLC | March 2026
The Pressure Injury Crisis in Post-Acute Care
Pressure injuries (PIs) represent a profound clinical and economic burden, concentrated disproportionately in post-acute care. Over 2.5 million Americans develop PIs annually, and NPIAP data reveal a 20–30% incidence in skilled nursing facilities. The annual US treatment cost is estimated at $26.8 billion. Patients who develop PIs face a 3.6-fold increase in mortality; for PIs involving deeper structures, mortality can reach 70% at 180 days. The post-acute population—older adults with reduced mobility, impaired perfusion, polypharmacy, and malnutrition—is especially vulnerable, and standard of care alone is often insufficient for full-thickness wounds in this setting.
Cellular, acellular, and matrix-like products (CAMPs) offer an effective approach to resetting the stalled healing trajectory of these wounds. Clinical experience and real world evidence have shown that CAMPs are extremely beneficial for these patients.
In a real world study recently published in the International Journal of Tissue Repair, Tettelbach et al. analyzed matched Medicare claims data (2016–2024) for Stage 3 PI episodes managed in hospital outpatient settings (n=7,223 matched episodes per group) and found that CAMP use was associated with lower rates of sepsis (26.1% vs. 36.1%), major amputation (2.2% vs. 3.1%), ED visits, inpatient admissions, and mortality (17.8% vs. 22.3%) compared to SOC with sharp debridement alone.
Establishing a Clinical Protocol
The first suggested step in the appropriate treatment of PI patients with CAMPs is the development of an appropriate clinical treatment protocol. However, without an applicable LCD, there was previously limited available guidance on the use of CAMPs for these patients. Providers were left to develop their own approaches.
This is no longer the case. A 2025 international consensus document published in the Journal of Wound Care provides a comprehensive framework for CAMP use in PIs and offers a defensible evidentiary basis for providers to rely on. The JWC consensus panel established that CAMPs should be integrated into standardized, protocol-driven treatment plans. CAMPs are indicated for full-thickness PIs that have failed to respond to standard of care after comorbidities and risk factors have been addressed, and the panel endorsed early application in patients with complex wounds, multiple comorbidities, or impaired healing capacity. Accurate differential diagnosis—ruling out atypical wounds, skin failure, and osteomyelitis—is a prerequisite.
The consensus outlines a step-down/step-up timeline: aggressive multimodal intervention in Days 1–4 (debridement, antiseptics, etiology management), therapy optimization in Days 5–7, de-escalation in Weeks 1–4 as the wound improves, and evaluation for advanced therapies including CAMPs if healing stalls beyond Week 4.
Patient and Wound Bed Optimization
The biological reset facilitated by CAMPs must occur within an optimized systemic environment. Key domains include comorbidity management, nicotine cessation, location-specific offloading, nutritional assessment, medication review, tissue perfusion evaluation, microclimate management, and psychosocial support. Wound bed preparation per the TIMERS framework—tissue debridement, inflammation/infection control, moisture balance, edge management, and readiness for repair—is likewise mandatory before CAMP application. Products like UltraMist, XsonX and Histologics can make wound bed preparation both more tolerable for patients and more effective.
CAMPs Product Selecting
Flat reimbursement for CAMPs does not mean all CAMPs are the same. Far from it CAMPs differ greatly in composition, mechanisms of action, regulatory classification, and evidentiary support. Product selection should reflect wound depth and complexity, healing trajectory, comorbidity profile, and the clinical setting. Published clinical evidence in PI treatment is also extremely beneficial in justifying the selection and use of a particular product.
Among available options, ProgenaMatrix® human keratin matrix (HKM) is one of the few CAMPs with an FDA-cleared indication specifically for Stage I-IV pressure injuries. Recent peer-reviewed evidence has highlighted the benefits of HKM in PI treatment. A March 2026 study in the International Journal of Tissue Repair (Tunyiswa et al.) provides an effectiveness analysis of HKM in real-world PIs in post-acute settings. . Using data from a national database capturing longitudinal PI data from multiple LTACHs and SNFs, the authors applied Bayesian propensity score matching to compare 81 HKM-treated and 80 SOC-only PIs. HKM was associated with an approximately 60% greater probability of healing (posterior mean RR ≈ 1.6, 95% HDI 1.0–2.1), with a 99.4% posterior probability of benefit. The treatment effect was consistent across all PI stages including the most severe Grade III, Grade IV and unstageable wounds, and no HKM-related complications were identified.
Full open-access article: https://doi.org/10.63676/vt5yx857
Using the appropriate CAMPs product in the appropriate patient at the appropriate time is the key to unlock what the consensus panel described as “one of the most effective solutions” for pressure injuries not responding to standard care.
References
1. Tettelbach WH, Armstrong DG, Oropallo A, et al. Real-world outcomes of cellular, acellular, and matrix-like products (CAMPs) in Stage 3 pressure injury ulcers: A matched Medicare claims analysis (2016–2024). Int J Tissue Repair. 2026. https://doi.org/10.63676/dj8g4218
2. Desvigne M, Tettelbach WH, Dirks R, et al. CAMPs in pressure injuries: International consensus document. J Wound Care. 2025;34(12 Sup D):S1–S18.
3. Tunyiswa Z, Frade S, Dirks R, Walthall H. Human keratin matrix use and wound healing outcomes in post-acute care of pressure ulcers: Evidence from a Bayesian real-world study. Int J Tissue Repair. 2026. doi:10.63676/vt5yx857
Categories
What We're Seeing: AI Note Review Tool Provides Clinical Note Insights
Since rolling out AI powered note review, we've been checking standard of care documentation against payer policy on every case, and the same three gaps keep coming up: vascular assessment that's incomplete or missing, contraindications that were treated but never documented as resolved, and conservative care periods that don't fully hold together on paper. The encouraging part is that the care itself is almost always solid. It's the note that doesn't quite prove it, and that's a much easier fix.
Venture Medical and Plasmacure Explore the Future of Cold Plasma at IPAWS
Venture Medical and Plasmacure recently came together at IPAWS in New Orleans to introduce wound care professionals to PLASOMA® and explore the potential role of cold atmospheric plasma in the future of advanced wound care in the United States.
Navigating WISeR: What Wound Care Providers Need to Know and How Venture Medical Can Help
The WISeR Model is here, and it's changing the way wound care providers submit and manage their Medicare claims. Learn what WISeR means for your practice, why accurate documentation is more critical than ever, and how Venture Medical is working hand-in-hand with providers to navigate the process with confidence.
How Venture Medical Is Helping Providers Build Practices That Last
Venture Medical remains committed to being a long-term partner to providers by giving them the strategies and tools they need to build sustainable, resilient practices for the long haul.Venture Medical's ongoing 2026 webinar series is focused on helping wound care providers build practices that can absorb disruption rather than react to it. Learn more about this webinar series and watch the recaps of the sessions you might have missed.
Why Defensible Documentation Is the Most Important Business Decision You Will Make in 2026
In an era of tightening payer scrutiny and rising audit activity, the practices that thrive will be the ones that treat documentation as a clinical and operational standard, not an afterthought. This blog breaks down what medical necessity really means, what "defensible" documentation looks like, and how the right workflows and technology can make excellence achievable every single day.
