Havel’s Incorporated Announces the Release of Four New Innovative Ultrasound Needles.

 The market leader in echogenic needles for ultrasound guided regional anesthesia releases four new innovative echogenic needles. 

Micro Laser Etching on PTC Needle

 

CINCINNATI, July 12/Havel’s Incorporated/ – Havel’s Incorporated, the Cincinnati-based market leader in echogenic needles, announces the release of a new line of needles with Micro Laser Etching near the tip.  “I am very excited about the new MLE™ echogenic feature because it does not affect the inner diameter of the needle, allowing users to pass wires or catheters through the cannula without obstruction,” says John Barrett, vice president of sales & marketing for Havel’s Incorporated.  The new MLE™ technology allows for a much larger variety of sizes. 

Known for their patented Corner Cube Reflectors, or CCR® marks, Havel’s revolutionized the ultrasound needle industry.  CCR® marks near the tip of the needle reflect sound waves back to the transducer, showing anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists exactly where the tip of the needle is under ultrasound.   Instead of CCR® reflectors, which slightly reduce the inner diameter of the needle, the new needles have Micro Laser Etching, or MLE™, near the tip to reflect sound waves back to the transducer.  The tip is therefore visible under ultrasound with no reduction of inner diameter.  “We hope to eventually use the new MLE™ technology on a variety of products for use throughout the hospital,” Barrett says. 

The new needles include the EchoBlock® PTC for Ultrasound Guided Pain Injections and the EchoBlock® PTC30 for Ultrasound Guided Peripheral Nerve Blocks.  The AccuTarg® Quincke and the AccuTarg® Chiba point needles feature the MLE™ reflectors and can be used in radiology and for ultrasound guided procedures.

Studies show that biopsies using percutaneous needles are a growing practice.  Read the following article for more information.

Read relevant articles and useful information by clicking on the “Publications of Interest” link in the lower right hand corner of the www.havels.com homepage.

Dermatologists who biopsy suspicious lesions will now have a more efficient test for potentially deadly melanoma.  High-frequesncy ultrasound with elastography can improve the efficiency of skin cancer diagnosis.

According to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, high-frequency ulstrasound can help differentiate between cancerous and benign skin conditions.

To read the full press release, click here.

Dr. Michael L. Whitworth and Dr. Jose de Cordoba answer “yes” in pages 17-30 of the International Spine Intervention Society newsletter (Volume 6, Number 2). Read the abstract below.

ABSTRACT
The use of non-radiological guided epidural steroid injections is a common practice, however a critical appraisal of the technique demonstrates several problems. These include inability to accurately identify the target epidural space, inability to enter the epidural space due to anatomical impediments, errant intravascular and subdural injections, and inability to confirm needle placement or that the target is reached by steroid. The error rates for non-radiological guided injections is unacceptably high and given the widespread availability of fluoroscopy, these injections should be abandoned on the basis of inaccuracy and patient safety.

To read the full article, click here.

Havel’s EchoStim® echogenic insulated needles were not officially released in time to be included in the study, “Ultrasound Characteristics of Needles for Regional Anesthesia”, which was published in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine¹ in September 2007.  Instead Havel’s echogenic Chiba needles for Radiology were included, and performed well considering they are not insulated and not made for Peripheral Nerve Blocks.  The top performers in the study are claiming superiority based on a study that did not include the only FDA approved echogenic insulated needle on the market.  Havel’s urges practitioners to test the EchoStim® for themselves, so they can see how much better it performs when compared to the other 12 needles in the study.

¹ T. Maecken, M. Zenz, T. Grau, “Ultrasound characteristics of needles for regional anesthesia.” Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Volume 32, Issue 5, Pages 122-122.

Click here to read the study abstract.

The Avanca RPD Syringe

In July, the Journal of Rheumatology published the article “Does Sonographic Needle Guidance Affect the Clinical Outcome of Intraarticular Injections?” Dr. William L. Sibbett, Jr. contributed to the article. Dr. Sibbett is the inventor of the Avanca syringe.

To view the abstract, click here.

To view the full article, click here.

Society of Interventional Radiology

The New England Journal of Medicine has published information on a new safe, nonsurgical option for treatment of uterine fibroids. The article describes the benefits of Uterine Fibroid Embolization in Clinical Therapeutics. This interventional radiology treatment could possibly decrease the hysterectomy rate in the United States.

To read more, check out the press release from the Society of Interventional Radiology here.

Radiology Journal from Radiological Society of North America

Ultrasound guided percutaneous needle procedure shows prompt recovery and relief for rotator cuff calcific tendonitis.

To read the abstract and full article, click here.