Archive for October, 2009

This year’s American Society of Anesthesiologists show in New Orleans was a huge success.  Our week started on Friday October 16^th at the Marriott Renaissance Arts Hotel where we exhibited at Duke University’s “Ultrasound for Every Anesthesiologist” pre-ASA Symposium.  The attendees were instructed on how to perform Ultrasound Guided Peripheral Nerve Blocks by a talented group of faculty, including Dr. Stuart Grant from Duke University Medical Center.  The anesthesiologists that stopped by Havel’s table were excited to hear about the EchoStim® Echogenic Insulated Needles for Ultrasound Guided Regional Anesthesia.  The EchoStim® needle has dots near the tip that make it easy to find under ultrasound guidance, even for anesthesiologists that are new to US.  Many requested samples and will hopefully return to order once they see what a difference a Havel’s echogenic needle makes.

 Saturday October 17^th was spent getting the booth ready for Sunday’s ASA opening.  Havel’s had a new booth for this year’s show, and our team did a great job preparing for the Grand Opening. 

 The Grand Opening on Sunday October 18^th exceeded all expectations as a crowd of interested anesthesiologists made their way to Havel’s new booth.  The EchoStim® Insulated Echogenic Needle is the only insulated echogenic needle approved by the FDA and available now for sale.  This was a popular question at this year’s ASA, as it seems several companies were showing prototype needles with unknown FDA approval dates, unknown shipping availability, and a mysterious unknown price tag.  With all of these unknowns and the incredible growth of ultrasound in anesthesia, Havel’s echogenic needles were the star of the show.

Havel’s had a record breaking number of leads and free product sample requests.  Sunday brought a large wave of attendees, though Monday and Tuesday were nothing to scoff at.  In addition to the EchoStim®, there was also lots of interest in our new echogenic products coming in 2010.  Our planned echogenic Tuohy Needle and Continuous Catheter set were popular, but the new EchoCath™ and EchoAccess™ for vascular access and central line placement brought the most inquiries.  These new products are just a sampling of the new items planned to compliment Havel’s EchoLine™ of products in 2010.

With another great year behind us, the Havel’s team is now looking forward to next year’s big show in San Diego.  With all of the new echogenic products in the pipeline, Havel’s expects to break even more records in 2010.  Thank you to all of the 2009 ASA Attendees for making this a great show, and to the Havel’s team for doing such a great job.  I hope to see all of you next year in San Diego.

–From John Barrett, Vice President Sales & Marketing for Havel’s Inc.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists is urging members to support an amendment to H.R. 3200 that would “…de-link anesthesia payments from Medicare rates under a public plan.”  The amendment was introduced by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30) and is being called the “Johnson Amendment.” 

To read more about the how you can support the “Johnson Amendment,” please click here.

Leaders of the American Academy of Pain Medicine recently published a Pain Medicine Position Paper which documents that businesses lose large sums of money due to ineffective pain care and pain care delivery.  The AAPM leaders propose a new approach to pain care.

To learn more, click here.

October 15th is recognized by 70 countries worldwide as Global Handwashing Day. The purpose of Global Handwashing Day is to improve handwashing practices, particularly in children. Every year, a million people die of diarrheal disease and respiratory illness. Both diseases can easily be avoided by simply washing your hands with soap and water. The soap is particularly important. Water alone does not kill germs. Soap is the germ killer.

To read more about Global Handwashing Day and a study that found that more people wash their hands when “shamed” into it, click here.

To go to the Global Handwashing Day official site, click here.

The Cochrane Reviews recently published a review by KJ Walker regarding the use of ultrasound guidance for peripheral nerve blockades. Although the use of ultrasound did not determine a block’s success, it does have a number of benefits for the patient: reduced bruising, reduced time to do the block, quickness in the block working, and a reduction in the amount of local anaesthetic used.

For more information, click here.

In an article in Practical Pain Management, Ron Lechnyr, PhD, DSW and Terri Lechnyr, PhD have created a handout for patients to help them better understand the world of pain medicine.

Often, patients ask questions, but the questions are directed at everyone on the pain management team except the doctor in charge. Psychologists, social workers and physical therapists often spend more time with patients, therefore fielding more questions. But, it is doctors who need to clarify issues. The handout created by the article authors addresses “What Pain Patients Need to Know.”

In a recent article in the Journal of Medical Ethics, the ethical violation caused by undertreating pain is examined.  Too few pain specialists exist worldwide.  Most pain specialists deal with patients with terminal conditions.  Doctors outside pain and palliative specialties are often not familiar with pain guidelines.  The author argues that physicans who are not pain specialists should also be familiar with pain guidelines so they are able to help relieve pain symptoms.  Undertreating pain symptoms is a violation of ethical practices.

To read the abstract, click here.

The website for the International Symposium of Ultrasound for Regional Anesthesia 2010 in Toronto is now live. The full program and faculty list is available online.

Click here to go to the site.

Researchers at Queens University have found that patients with neuropathic pain experience less pain when taking both gabapentin (an anti-seizure drug) AND nortriptyline (an anti-depressant drug.)  The drug combination also reportedly helps patients sleep better.  Results of the study are published in the international journal The Lancet.

To read more about the study, click here.

In a recent article in the New York Times, Adam Bosworth spoke about his company, Keas, and their efforts to “combine personal data with health information to deliver tailored health plans for individuals.”

Adam Bosworth is the former head of the Google Health team. Keas has partnered with both Google Health and Microsost HealthVault to create a new model for the way online healthcare works.

Click here for the NYT article.

To go to the Keas site, click here.