What Surgeons Need from Lighting Systems
Healthcare Purchasing News investigated what it takes to make a good surgical lighting. First, high intensity is a must, usually at 80,000 to 160,000 lux or more than full sunlight. Then light needs to feel relatively soft, be free of glare or shadows as surgeons need to see structures inside cavities and be able to work for long periods of time without eye fatigue. Color temperature also has an impact on contrast: blue-white higher temperatures at 4,000+ Kelvins are often more adapted than yellower tints below 3,500 K. In other words, doctors need the right quantity but also more importantly the right quality of light.
Trumpf Medical Systems for instance offers LED-based (light-emitting diodes) products that redistribute light according to need, generate almost no heat, and provide variable color temperature. Meanwhile, Maquet products reduce shadows made by the surgeon’s head with prisms and microlens light guides. Manufacturers are looking to balance factors, for instance if you push intensity and color temperature too much you will get an unsuited blinding effect. The Trumpf iLED devices let physicians adjust color temperature based on preference, fatigue, and the kind of tissue they are operating on. Lighting systems also need to feel light to move and easy to reposition. Beyond these traditional physical properties, surgical lighting needs more and more to integrate with imaging systems, computer screens and cameras used during surgery. Finally, cost of ownership might decrease as new technologies bring lower energy consumption and longer bulb life.
April 6, 2006 Related topics: Medical Devices & Products, Surgery