Havels Blog

John Barrett
VP Sales & Marketing

Last month the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management held its Fall Pain Management meeting in New Orleans, LA. Havel’s® Inc. exhibited at the meeting showcasing several styles of their very popular echogenic needles.

The meeting kicked off with a preview hour Thursday afternoon, but the real fun started Thursday night during the Opening Reception and wine pour. Attendees were able to enjoy appetizers and a glass of wine as they made their way through the exhibit hall. This event is always popular bringing out a large number of attendees with lots of interest and questions. We received more free sample requests at the Opening Reception, than we did for the next 2 days combined. It was a great night.

The majority stopping by Havel’s booth were interested in the EchoStim® Echogenic Insulated Needles for ultrasound guided regional anesthesia by those using ultrasound and nerve stimulation together. However, since this was a pain management show, there was also considerable interest in the sharper non-insulated EchoBlock® MSK and the EchoBlock® PTC for ultrasound guided pain injections. Sonosite was kind enough to provide an ultrasound machine for use in the booth, so interested attendees were able to see for themselves just how bright Havel’s needles are under ultrasound. They were also impressed by the price as Havel’s needles cost about the same as regular insulated needles.

As with every meeting ASRA Fall 2011 ended with an impressive President’s Reception. This time it was at the New Orleans Aquarium. Attendees were treated to a tour through the exhibits, a live band, open bar, and several food stations. All in all New Orleans was an excellent location for this year’s fall meeting. We at Havel’s are looking forward to another great year and another ASRA meeting this spring. If you go, be sure to stop by and see us. If you can’t make it and would like a free sample of your own, please click here. Thanks to everyone that visited us in New Orleans, and we look forward to seeing you in San Diego in March.

John Barrett,
VP Sales & Marketing

Last month the American Society of Anesthesiologists held its annual meeting in Chicago, IL. Havel’s® Inc. attended the show and gave away a record number of free samples of our echogenic needles to interested attendees.

Havel’s started a day early with a stop at the W Hotel for the Duke University Pre-ASA Ultrasound for Every Anesthesiologist Workshop where we showcased our echogenic needles. The day long workshop brought a number of free sample requests as attendees stopped by our table to ask about the market leading EchoStim® Echogenic Insulated Needles.

The big show began Saturday morning and before the evenings reception even started, Havel’s had already surpassed the 2010 first day totals for free sample requests. Most attendees were interested in Havel’s EchoStim® Echogenic Insulated Needle for ultrasound guided regional anesthesia by those using ultrasound and nerve stimulation together, though some advanced practitioners using ultrasound only wanted to try the non-insulated EchoBlock® and EchoBlock® PTC30. All were impressed by the images of the needles under ultrasound, and were even more surprised to hear our needles cost about the same or less than regular insulated needles.

As in previous years Havel’s also provided echogenic needle samples for use at the various cadaver ultrasound workshops. The echogenic needles are an added safety feature for any user, but are very helpful to those new to ultrasound. Several attendees stopped by for additional practice on our phantom, using the ultrasound machine generously provided by Sonosite.

Once again the ASA Annual Meeting organizers did an excellent job planning the show and selecting the venue and host city. Chicago made an excellent backdrop for the event and each evening’s entertaining. We at Havel’s are looking forward to another great year and urge everyone who may have missed us at the show, to call or click here for your own free samples. Thanks to everyone that did stop by, and we will see you all next year in Washington DC.

~ John Barrett

Shelly Ast
Account Representative

Havel’s Inc. has been busy at several different ultrasound workshops showing off our echogenic needles, and regardless of the city, our needles are always popular.

Havel’s recent string of workshops started with the ASRA Pain Workshop at Northwestern University Hospital in Chicago, IL on September 10th. Since this was a pain workshop we displayed the EchoBlock® MSK needle, which has Corner Cube Reflectors (CCR®) near the tip; and the EchoBlock® PTC and EchoTuohy™ needles, which both have Micro Laser Etchings (MLE™) near the tip. This was a very successful workshop, and we took many sample requests for all three needle styles.

The next stop was a weekend show with the Ohio Society of Anesthesiologists at the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel in our hometown of Cincinnati, OH on September 17th and 18th. There we displayed our full array of needles including those mentioned above, as well as the market leading EchoStim® Echogenic Insulated Needle for ultrasound guided regional anesthesia, for those using ultrasound and nerve stimulation together. There were many attendees that were very intrigued by the variety of needles Havel’s has to offer.

The final stop on our September whirlwind tour was at the ASRA Ultrasound Workshop at the Seaport Hotel in Boston, MA on September 24th. As with all ultrasound workshops, we featured our EchoStim® and EchoBlock® needles, which have our patent pending CCR® marks; and our EchoBlock® PTC30 and EchoTuohy™ needles, which have the MLE™ near the tip. As usual ASRA provided us with a great opportunity to speak to, and get samples in the hands of a number of doctors.

After an exhausting but very successful and exciting September, we are now busy preparing for our upcoming shows at the ASA in Chicago this October, the SPPM Show in Kansas City and the ASRA Fall Pain Show in New Orleans, both in November. If you plan to attend any of these shows, be sure to stop by say hello and request a free sample, or you may click here to be taken to our free sample online request form, or call me today at (800) 638-4770.

There is a new way to purchase Havel’s EchoStim® Insulated Echogenic Needles. The U-Blok ultrasound company is now offering Havel’s Echogenic needles on their site along with their new tablet based ultrasound equipment. U-Blok says if you’re new to ultrasound, their system will entice you, but if you’ve worked with ultrasound before, the system will allow you to perform any block with a device no bigger than your anesthesia record.

U-Blok says their device has three basic components, a tablet PC that runs both Windows and Android, a USB probe that you connect to the side of the tablet, and a software user interface that is state of the art and so intuitive you will be up and running seconds after the system boots up. U-Blok also says they are the first ultrasound system specifically designed for anesthesiologists. You just turn on your tablet, connect the probe to a USB port, touch the U-Blok icon, select your procedure to load custom settings, and then perform your block. The device also allows you to save images or create a movie of the procedure with just the touch of a button.

U-Blok recommends the use Havel’s echogenic needles and offers them along with full systems at their U-Blok store online. The picture below came directly from the PDF files that are generated by the U-Blok system using a Havel’s EchoStim® needle.

Havel's needle in a phantom breast, aiming at a supposed cyst.

Features of the Havel’s Needle
1) 21g needle.
2) Tip of needle with last centimeter clearly seen near phantom cyst.
3) Echogenic markers or reflectors appear only on the last centimeter of the needle. Havel’s focuses on the tip for echogenicity.
4) Ultrasound at 15 MHz and 5 cms

If you have questions about the U-Blok system please contact;
Carlota Fenes,
WiCis Inc
(510) 289-2929
carlotafenes@u-blok.com

Shelly Ast,
Account Representative

Havel’s® Inc. recently attended the ASRA Ultrasound Workshop at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago. Once again, ASRA did an excellent job organizing the workshop, and as always Chicago was a great city to visit. The workshop was very well attended by Anesthesiologists from all over
the country.

We displayed our EchoStim®, EchoBlock®, EchoBlock® PTC30, and EchoTuohy™ needles at the workshop, and those in attendence were intrigued by both the EchoStim® and EchoBlock® with the Corner Cube Reflectors (CCR®) as well as the EchoBlock® PTC30 and EchoTuohy™ with the Micro Laser Etching (MLE™). Our needles were also used in the practice session, and received great reviews. After speaking with several of the attendees, many requested samples.

Please stop by and see us at the next ASRA Ultrasound workshop which will take place in Boston on September 24th and 25th.

If you are interested in trying any of Havel’s echogenic needles, please click here to be taken to our free sample online request form, or call me today at (800) 638-4770.

~ Shelly Ast

John Barrett,
VP Sales & Marketing

In addition to the free samples used during the hands-on sessions, Havel’s also sent free samples to the interested attendees that stopped by our exhibit table. The EchoBlock® MSK and EchoBlock® PTC were the most popular products selected for sampling by the attendees. The EB MSK has Corner Cube Reflectors (CCR®) and a sharper 18° bevel for joint and tendon injections. The EchoBlock® PTC has the same 18° bevel, but the echogenic feature is Micro Laser Etchings (MLE™). Both CCR® and MLE™ create multiple angles near the tip of the needle to reflect sound waves back
to the transducer.

As with all ASRA workshops the event went off without a hitch. The Seaport Hotel was an excellent venue, and Boston made a great impression on everyone in attendance. If you are interested in attending an ultrasound workshop in the future, I highly recommend you try one of the upcoming ASRA Workshops. Also, If you are interested in trying any of Havel’s echogenic needles, please click here to be taken to our free sample online request form, or call me today at (800) 638-4770.

~ John Barrett

Have you used Havel’s specialty needles?
Tell us what you think, we appreciate hearing what you have to say.

John Barrett, VP Sales & Marketing

The most requested item was Havel’s new improved EchoStim® with the 4×4 Corner Cube Reflector (CCR®) pattern. The original had 3 rows of 3, so there were times when reflectors were not facing the transducer, which required needle rotation. With the new 4×4 pattern, this is much less likely, and there are now 16 reflectors in the needle’s first 5.5 mm. This focus on the tip puts reflectors on the most important part of the needle, it eliminates any “halo” effect caused by too many reflectors, and it keeps the cost down.

The show itself was very well attended and well managed. The exhibit hall was busy and the attendees had plenty of great questions about our needle and its many benefits. The location could not have been better. Las Vegas is a great destination and really helps bring out the attendees, while Caesars was the perfect venue. From the hall, to the rooms, to the pool, everything was top notch. Even the President’s Reception on Saturday, which took place at PURE, the number one hot spot in Las Vegas. The view of the strip from the outdoor party deck was incredible and made for an excellent backdrop for the evening’s festivities.

Thanks again to the folks at ASRA for another great meeting, and we look forward to seeing everyone in New Orleans in November. If you would like to try one of our new 4×4 needles, or one of our other products, please click here or
call us at 1-800-638-4770.

~ John Barrett

John Barrett, VP of Sales & Marketing

In particular Havel’s AccuTarg® Echogenic Chiba and AccuTarg® Echogenic Quincke Needles were an overwhelming success among those visiting Havel’s booth. Both needles have our Micro Laser Etchings (MLE™) near the tip which create multiple angled surfaces to reflect sound waves back to the transducer, even at steep insertion angles, giving you clear confirmation of your tip’s location. The 2 bevel options cover many of the procedures done in interventional radiology, and because our echogenic feature is only at the tip, the needles cost about the same as regular non-echogenic needles.

The SIR Meeting ran from Sunday to Wednesday giving everyone plenty of time to visit the exhibit floor. Sunday evening we attended the SIR Foundation Gala at the Field Museum where we helped celebrate and support the advancement of interventional radiology research and education. The night included live and silent auctions, a seated dinner, and all at the feet of Sue, the world’s largest and most complete T Rex.

Havel’s was impressed with this years SIR Meeting and Gala, and hopefully those sampling our needles will be equally impressed. If you are interested in trying any of Havel’s echogenic needles, please click here to be taken to our free sample online request form, or call me today at (800) 638-4770.

~ John Barrett

Did you attend SIR? Have you sampled Havel’s needles?
Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!

John Barrett, VP Sales & Marketing

Did you attend the Cleveland Clinic? Have you received samples from Havel’s?
Let us know your thoughts, we’d love to hear from you!

Shelly Ast, Sales Associate

Did you attend the SPPM course? Have you received samples from Havel’s?
Let us know your thoughts, we’d love to hear from you!