Description of Event or Problem · 1
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED WITH THE XTRAC LASER TREATMENT FROM PHOTOMEDEX INC FOR PSORIASIS. PT RECENTLY COMPLETED A 10 SESSION PROGRAM AND FOUND THE PROCESS POORLY ADMINISTERED AND NOT VERY EFFECTIVE. PT STARTED THE TREATMENT ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT PT MIGHT BE IN THE GROUP OF PSORIASIS SUFFERS FOR WHOM THE TREATMENT IS NOT VERY EFFECTIVE. PT FELT IT WOULD STILL BE WORTH THE $1,000 EVEN IF THIS WERE THE RESULT. INSTEAD, PT WAS LEFT WITH THEIR CONDITION ONLY MARGINALLY IMPROVED THE $1,000 EVEN IF THIS WERE THE RESULT. INSTEAD, PT WAS LEFT WITH THEIR CONDITION ONLY MARGINALLY IMPROVED AND NOT KNOWING IF THE TREATMENT WOULD WORK FOR THEM, IF ADMINISTERED CORRECTLY. PT FINDS THIS VERY DISAPPOINTING. PT SUFFERS FROM A MILD CASE OF PSORIASIS COVERING LESS THAN 5% OF BODY. THE MAIN PROBLEM AREAS ARE FEET, HANDS, ELBOWS AND LEFT KNEE. THE RESEARCH INFO ON THE XTRAC SYSTEM WOULD SEEM TO INDICATE THAT PT IS A PERFECT SUBJECT FOR THIS TREATMENT. THE PHYSICIAN PT VISITED CONFIRMED THIS AFTER A QUICK VISUAL INSPECTION AND THEN PROCEEDED TO ASK PT IF THEY SUNBURNED EASILY. BASED ON THEIR POSITIVE RESPONSE AND A CHART OF SKIN TYPES HE CONCLUDED THAT PT WAS A LEVEL 2. BASED ON THIS ASSESSMENT HE BEGAN TREATMENT AT THE LEVEL 2 SETTING. PT KEPT RECORDS OF THE LEVELS HE USED FOR TREATMENT BUT MY RECORDS DO NOT ALWAYS MATCH HIS MANUAL NOTATIONS). HE SAID THAT HE WANTED TO AVOID SUNBURN AND BLISTERS. HE THEN CONTINUED WITH TREATMENTS AT THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OVER THE NEXT 6 WEEKS. THE RESULT WAS THAT PSORIASIS WOULD IMPROVE, BUT NOT CLEAR ENTIRELY, WHILE TAKING THE BIWEEKLY TREATMENTS. WHEN THE TREATMENTS WERE LESS FREQUENT, PSORIASIS WOULD QUICKLY START TO GET WORSE. NONE OF THE TREATMENTS CAUSED BURNING, REDNESS, OR BLISTERS IN THE AFFECTED SKIN. SINCE THE PRIMARY ATTRACTION FOR STARTING THE TREATMENT WAS THE HOPE THAT PSORIASIS WOULD GO INTO REMISSION FOR A PERIOD OF MONTHS, PT WAS OBVIOUSLY VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE ACTUAL RESULTS. PT FEELS NOW, AFTER REVIEWING MORE OF THE STUDY RESULTS FOR THE XTRAC TREATMENT, THAT SEVERAL ERRORS WERE MADE IN THE PHYSICIAN'S ADMINISTRATION OF THE TREATMENT, PT FEELS VERY STRONGLY THAT A FIELD STUDY OF THE ACTUAL XTRAC RESULTS SHOULD BE CONDUCTED WITH THE INTENT TO FIND THE WEAKNESSES IN THE APPLICATION OF THE TREATMENT AND SUGGEST IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS. PT IS CERTAIN THAT ONE RESULT WILL BE A RECOMMENDATION FOR PHOTOMEDEX TO IMPROVE THEIR TRAINING AND FOLLOW-UP PROCEDURES WITH THE PARTICIPATING PHYSICIANS.