Havels Blog » Interviews

Unique Ultrasound Equipment From Havel’sNewest Echogenic Needle Distributor

rreed — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:38:26 +0000

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

Havel’s Medical Assists Non-Profit Organization~Great Shape! Inc.

rreed — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:43:50 +0000

“Great Shape! Inc. is very grateful for the generous donation of surgical blades from Havel’s Inc. These blades were utilized by the 1000 Smiles dental project where volunteer dentists predominantly used them for surgery. They were helpful in thousands of extractions, fillings, cleanings, etc.
As they say in Jamaica, Big Up to Havel’s Inc.! We are humbled by their generous donation and this contribution will continue to serve many Jamaicans in great need of dental care.”
~Joseph Wright, Executive Director

New Website Helps Individuals Make Better Health Decisions

apage — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:45:30 +0000

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.

Take the Risk Out of Retrobulbar Blocks

apage — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:57:51 +0000

The Sprotte Needle

Approximately 5,000 eye surgeries are performed annually at the Spokane Eye Center in Spokane, Washington. Of those surgeries, 3,000 to 4,000 require retrobulbar blocks for anesthesia. Dan Simonson, CRNA, performs a high volume of retrobulbar blocks, which he prefers to the use of topical anesthesia.

The risk of puncture is eliminated with topical eye anesthesia, but other risks arise. “Centers that do a high volume of cataract surgical procedures get good at topical anesthesia,” Simonson says. “But the additional risks of topical anesthesia are that the patient will not be able to tolerate the procedure and the procedure will have to be aborted. Additionally, there may be an unforeseen complication during the procedure, such as a dropped lens nucleus or choroidal hemorrhage. Complications like this would become more difficult to control with an unanesthetized eye.”

The standard needle used in retrobulbar procedures is a disposable 25 to 27 gauge, 1 to 11/2” needle. The risks of using such a needle in retrobulbar blocks include tearing tissue of the eye and perforating the globe. The Sprotte needle, which Simonson uses in every retrobulbar block he performs, greatly reduces that risk. “The Sprotte needle, because of its design, travels through the tissues of the orbit without cutting them. Additionally, it is very difficult to penetrate the sclera with the needle, even at the 25 gauge size,” Simonson says.