News

AVA is now accepting nominations for the Suzanne LaVere Herbst Award

The Herbst Award is the highest recognition AVA offers a member, in recognition of his or her contributions that promote optimal outcomes for people requiring vascular access, and/or substantial contributions to the art and science of vascular access.

AVA 2014 Educational Sessions now Online!

Explore the outstanding educational sessions featuring the latest vascular access research and case studies presented by leading experts in the field at AVA 2014. Review these great educational opportunities through the Online Program Planner and the Registration Brochure.

World Class Speakers

When they speak, the vascular access decision makers listen. Now you can too. Learn from world renowned experts at AVA 2014 as they share their experiences, knowledge and insight. AVA 2014 is proud to highlight some of these speakers:

KEYNOTE:

Footprints: Follow Them, Create Them, Leave Them

Matthew D. Ostroff, RN, BSN, VA-BC™, CRNI, CPUI, CEN
Vascular Access Coordinator, St. Joseph’s Hospital

Join Mathew as he takes us through a life changing disease and his journey into vascular access. The audience will have the opportunity to reflect and appreciate the art of vascular access that we practice today through real life examples of the “vascular rebels” who have made this possible. Stories from expert clinicians, inventors, and those who have gone into industry and education will be shared.


GENERAL SESSION SPEAKERS:

The Changing Landscape of Patient Safety

Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS
President, National Patient Safety Foundation

Dr. Gandhi will describe new directions in patient safety critical to ensure that we are providing the safest care. She will describe new areas, such as: patient engagement, safety across the care continuum, and health information technology, where significant work needs to be done to continue to move the safety agenda forward to prevent patient harm.

Venous Thrombosis: The Elephant in the Room for Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters

Vineet Chopra, MD, MSc, Scott Trerotola, MD, R. Scott Evans, MS, PhD, FACMI

This session will feature three leading experts who will discuss PICC-related thrombosis including risk-factors, preventative measures and management of this complication. They will discuss the clinical significance, diagnosis and medical management of PICC-associated thrombosis, interventional radiology-based aspects to preventing and managing complications, and the imperative to develop robust infrastructure for research in this area using informatics and the electronic medical record.

The Downside of Vascular Access: Difficult Insertions and Complications

Jack LeDonne, MD

Vascular Access has a known set of complications along with a number of insertions that somehow turn into difficult cases. Dr. LeDonne will discuss some of these situations and show videos of the occurrences. Techniques for dealing with the untoward events and preventing them will be demonstrated.

AVA 2014 also offers:

Pre-meeting workshops that provide in-depth knowledge by focusing on skill-building topics.

Ultrasound Guided Central and Arterial Access: Advancing Vascular Access
Ultrasound Guided Peripheral IV Program
Promoting Quality Through Prevention and Management of Pediatric VAD Related Risks
As the World Turns: Impact on Vascular Access
Vascular Access Certification Review
Vascular Access 101 for Industry Professionals
Dedicated pediatric track

We have 15 sessions dedicated to pediatric vascular access, including: how to develop a pediatric VAT, insertion and management of VADs in complex patients, the challenges and benefits of implementing US for PICC insertions in neonatal patients, novel strategies to care for the unique needs of pediatric patient populations, and the current research on VAD related thrombosis.

Dear AVA Members,

We would like to invite you to participate in this global research study by completing an online survey to better understand current practice of central venous access device (CVAD) site care. CVAD is another term for central venous catheters (CVC). You are receiving this email because AVA has agreed to share this survey link with its members.

An international task force has been formed to perform a literature review and survey clinicians around the world to determine how clinicians are caring for CVAD sites. The results of this survey will be used to develop recommendations for management of these sites, including those with impaired skin integrity. This published manuscript will then lay the foundation for the development of international guidelines for skin integrity and management guidelines, led by the World Congress of Vascular Access.

To complete this survey, please copy, paste and click on the weblink below and answer the 37 multiple choice questions. Your response is anonymous; information that could identify you by computer or email is not being collected.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CVADsurvey

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the lead researchers at the email addresses below. The survey will close April 20th, 2014.

Please feel free to forward this invitation to colleagues you think may be interested in participating.

While there is no reimbursement for completing this survey, we hope that you will take a few minutes to help strengthen the body of evidence to guide the care of CVAD sites.

Sincerely,

Nancy Moureau, BSN, RN, CRNI, CPUI, VA-BC
Taskforce co-chair
PICC Excellence nancy@piccexcellence.com

Daphne Broadhurst, BScN, RN, CVAA(c)
Taskforce co-chair
Medical Pharmacies, Ottawa ON dbroadhurst@dhg.ca

The Association for Vascular Access (AVA) is pleased to announce that Lee Grossman, CAE has joined the organization as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately. He brings with him extensive experience in both the private and not-for-profit healthcare sectors.


Mr Grossman is a nationally known patient and disability advocate and serves on numerous government committees and not-for-profit Boards. He owned his own firm for 25 years in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he served as a consultant to the medical industry. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of Advance Enterprises, a global consulting firm in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Grossman spent 10 years at the Autism Society of America (ASA), where he served as Chair of the Board of Directors and later President and CEO. He also served as Interim CEO of the International Dyslexia Association and has overseen international and national projects to improve service delivery and health care.

“We are happy to have Lee as our new CEO,” stated Jim Lacy, President of AVA. “With his experience, we hope to continue to provide even more services to our members. In addition, Lee’s history and vision will help lead AVA to new heights advocating for Vascular Access Professionals and patients. We expect to showcase new programs at our annual conference in Washington, DC this September that will move AVA’s mission forward to an even greater audience.”

“I am very proud to be working with AVA,” said Mr. Grossman. “AVA has a successful history of educating and supporting the professionals in the field, working with industry in this $4 Billion market and improving safety for the millions of patients annually that receive Vascular Access Devices. The Board is committed to improving AVA’s mission and playing a more significant role in health care.”

Grossman attended college at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, completing his senior year at Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu, Hawaii, and earning his Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration. He has a Master's in Leadership from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE).

You may reach Lee by email at lgrossman@avainfo.org or through the phone numbers listed on AVA’s website.

REGISTER NOW FOR AVA 2014!

Join us in National Harbor, MD from September 7-10, 2014 for AVA 2014.

The Association for Vascular Access Annual Scientific Meeting will help improve the quality of care you deliver to patients by enhancing your clinical skills and learning best practices. Our educational sessions are designed to assist you with the challenges you face each day. Our full educational program will be available in late April. But, don’t wait... register now for AVA 2014!

We know budgets are tight so we kept registration rates the same as 2013; and if you register before August 1st you can save up to $125!

Join more than 1300 vascular access professionals and register now at www.avainfo.org/annual

http://www.avainfo.org/ondemandce