Shows & Workshops

Havel’s Inc. recently exhibited at the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Annual Meeting at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle Washington. The CRNA’s in attendance were very interested in Havel’s Echogenic EchoStim® Insulated and EchoBlock® Non-Insulated needles for ultrasound guided peripheral nerve blocks.

Some in the industry are surprised to hear that CRNA’s are using ultrasound for peripheral nerve blocks, but not Havel’s. We have been marketing our echogenic needles to AANA members since the products release in 2007. Now as ultrasound continues to spread throughout the hospital, CRNA students seem to know as much or more about ultrasound as the experienced veterans.

For now, both groups are focused on improving their skills and technique as they are well aware ultrasound is here to stay. Havel’s is also here to stay, releasing even more echogenic products in the coming months. Be on the lookout for the new EchoTuohy™ in September and the new EchoAccess® and EchoCath™ coming in 2011.

You can see Havel’s echogenic needles for yourself in Booth #2416 at the ASA Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA this October. Hope to see you there.

Havel’s Inc. recently attended the Mayo Clinic Diagnostic & interventional Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Course in Rochester, MN from July 15-17th.

The clinic was very successful and the attendees from all over the United States were very excited about the information and skills that they were learning. It was very well organized with classes, breakout sessions, and hands on classes with a lot of information.

As the only company displaying needles at the clinic, Havel’s Inc. had a very busy table. We were featuring our Echoblock MSK ultrasound needles and our newly released Echoblock PTC needles. The attendees were very eager to sample the Echoblock PTC needles because of the Micro Laser Etching (MLE) near the tip, they felt that these needles would greatly help them with the ultrasound guided injections they were learning about.

Dr. Jay Smith of the Mayo Clinic, the host of the workshop and one of the instructors, took several of the Echoblock PTC needles to the cadaver workshop for the attendees to try. After using them he told me they looked great under ultrasound. Overall everyone seemed pleased with the items we were showing.

The ISURA Show in Toronto.

Havel’s Inc. recently exhibited at the International Symposium of Ultrasound for Regional Anesthesia (ISURA) in Toronto, Canada.  Havel’s showed their EchoStim® Insulated, EchoBlock® Non-Insulated, and EchoBlock® MSK for Ultrasound Guided Regional Anesthesia and Pain Injections.  Since the symposium focused on the use of ultrasound in regional anesthesia and pain management, Havel’s products were very popular. 

The conference attendees came from countries around the world: New Zealand, Kuwait, China, and Norway, to name a few.  The international flavor provided insight as to how similar issues are handled differently around the world.  The Regional Anesthesia and Chronic Pain Programs helped attendees improve their use of Ultrasound Guidance, so they could return home and put those new skills to work.

Dr. Chan and John Barrett

Dr. Vincent Chan and his staff did an excellent job organizing the conference, including the non-CME related functions.  The Gala Dinner Friday night, for instance, was held at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club.  The excellent meal was only part of the evening, as the elegant grounds and the ferry rides to and from the island were also high points.

Saturday’s schedule went well and the attendees seemed happy that things were running so smoothly.  They only had good things to say during the reception Saturday evening, where attendees gathered to relax with wine and appetizers.  Sunday’s schedule was shorter and without exhibitors, though I am sure it went smoothly as well.  It will be 2 years before the ISURA conference comes back to Toronto, but I suggest you plan on attending.  See you in 2012.

–John Barrett, VP Sales & Marketing

Havel’s Inc. recently exhibited at the CRASH Conference, Colorado Review of Anesthesia for SurgiCenter and Hospitals, in Vail, CO.  Havel’s EchoStim® Insulated and EchoBlock® Non-Insulated needles for ultrasound guided peripheral nerve blocks were a huge hit.  Many attendees requested samples, and all were surprised to hear our premium echogenic insulated needles came without a premium price.  The 300 attendees came for the skiing and for the various workshops including those on Ultrasound Guided Regional Anesthesia, Comprehensive Airway Management, Pediatric Controversies, and others.  The week started with a Welcome Reception Sunday evening, and by Wednesday attendees were ready for the NASTAR Ski race.  When the conference ended Friday, March 5^th, most attendees were making plans to return in 2011.

–John Barrett, VP Sales & Marketing

Havel’s Incorporated exhibited our line of ultrasound needles at the Midwest Anesthesia Residents Conference (MARC) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio on February 19th through 21st. Currently, Havel’s is the only company with an ultrasound needle line on the market. As first time exhibitors at MARC, Havel’s displayed the EchoStim and EchoBlock products which generated a lot of excitement. 650 attendees got a chance to see the EchoStim and EchoBlock product lines, and we received many sample requests from many of the well-respected institutions represented at the conference. We relished the opportunity and anticipate a great deal of success from our time at the MARC show.

It’s cold and snowing in many parts of the US right now.  Here’s something sunny to think about: The International Spine Intervention Society is hosting its 18th Annual Scientific Meeting in Maui, Hawaii in July, 2010 at the Wailea Resort.  According to ISIS president Way Yin, MD, the ”…plenary sessions will highlight many commonly encountered and controversial clinical scenarios including disease specific interventions for cervical, thoracic, and lumbar disc disease, spinal stenosis, and spondylosis.”

For more information, click here.

Havel’s Incorporated is proud to support the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine’s “Excellence in Regional Anesthesia” workshops in 2010.  Havel’s has been a past supporter of these workshops, and is pleased to continue their support of the ASRA educational programs.

Share ideas and insights with dental practitioners, clinicians and technicians at the 2010 ATPA Symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

For more information, click here.

The topic of the National Pain Summit in Houston, Texas was the need to provide better pain care for patients across all medical fields.

“The Pain Summit confirmed that the felt need for better pain care in America reaches across all medical fields. Every day, tens of millions of U.S. citizens are suffering from immobilizing pain that affects their jobs, their families, and their spirit; frankly, our doctors are often not trained well enough and our health care system is not organized appropriately to be able to help these patients. We can offer better care. We have the clinical science to start the process. But, funding is needed to educate patients and the public, to streamline medical systems, and to improve and standardize the education of medical students, the training of residents in all specialties, and the training of pain medicine specialists,” AAPM President Rollin M. Gallagher, MD, MPH, explained.

To read more, click here.

The American Academy of Pain Management seeks speaker abstracts for its 21st Annual Clinical Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada in September 2010.  For more details or to download the speaker proposal form, click here.