Friday, July 20, 2012

The Benefits of LED Based Surgical Lighting

LED lighting units are becoming more and more prominent in all segments of lighting, and surgical lighting is certainly no exception. LEDs are proving to be perfectly suited for examination and surgical illumination applications, and the switch in lighting technology from halogen to LEDs is widespread. Hospitals are always interested in finding more effective ways to run their operations at an optimum level and LEDs fit the bill not only economically, but also in terms of comfort for both surgeon (who endure hours under these lights) and patients alike.

Light emitting diode surgical lights, first introduced in the United States in July 2006, were initially met with a healthy mix of interest and skepticism. Why use LEDs in the operating room (OR)? Were the proposed benefits real? Did those benefits justify turning away from proven technologies, such as halogen, especially with lives on the line in the OR?  In the relatively short period since their introduction, these questions have been answered and the validity of LED surgical lights has been confirmed by a variety of factors. 

Low heat
Reducing heat, particularly in the area of the surgeon’s head, provides a more comfortable environment with the potential to improve surgical team performance, OR efficiency, which also would improve patient outcomes. While traditional surgical light manufacturers have made continual progress to reduce the heat produced by their lights, LED technology essentially ends this battle. In fact, the heat output of LEDs is better described as “no heat” rather than “low heat,” with temperature increases in the area of surgeon’s head measured at less than 1 degree Celsius by one manufacturer.

Extended Lifespan
LED based lights offer dramatically longer life cycles over conventional halogen based lights. The expected service life for the light source used in traditional lights is upwards of 2,000 hours. Various LED surgical light manufacturers talk about dramatically different numbers. The diodes used in LED lights are manufactured to last 50,000 hours on average. LED surgical light manufacturers will either use that 50,000-hour figure or a more conservative guarantee of 20,000 hours referring to the whole light and all its components.

Quality of Light
Beyond the benefits of long life and low/no heat, which seem to dominate most conversations on LED technology, it is important from a surgical team’s viewpoint to pose more basic questions regarding the quality of the light output. Some things to consider are:
  • A homogeneous light field: The quality of light is a subjective issue, with surgeon preference coming into play to explain why some lights get approval over others. Among the factors that are at work here is whether the light field is homogeneous. Surgeons are looking for consistency of the light across its focused area with no hot spots or drop-offs.
    The quality of the field is certainly affected by the configuration of LEDs in the light head, with more LEDs providing greater coverage and a better pattern. The critical assessment of the quality of the light field is best left to the surgeon’s discerning eye during a light trial.
  • Focusing ability: Another basic question is how the light is focused. Some LED lights offer a manual focus but a few can be focused electronically. What is the size of the spot and quality of the focus? Again, these functions are best judged by clinical staff during a light trial.
  • Intensity: The maximum allowable intensity of a surgical light is 160,000 Lux. The best traditional lights provide this level of intensity. The best LED surgical lights also meet this standard and provide dimming capabilities so a surgical team can adjust to the demands of each procedure.
Advanced Features
Depending on the manufacturer, LED surgical lights also offer various advanced features that can contribute significantly to a surgical team’s ability to deal with common problems, as well as provide them with new capabilities.
  • Shadow correction: Shadows during surgery are created by surgeon positioning, surgical team movement, equipment or the depth of a wound. The key is to minimize shadows so a surgeon always has the clearest possible view of the surgical site. In a typical LED surgical light, each LED generates the entire spot. These individual spots are then precisely overlapped, so no matter how many LEDs are blocked, the spot remains round and consistent. As obstructions move inside the light field, the pattern does not change.
  • Adjustable color temperature: An option currently offered by two LED light manufacturers is the ability to adjust color temperature. Color temperature is measured in Kelvin (K) with a lower number indicating a warmer, more orange light and a higher number representing a cooler, neutral, white light. The ability to adjust color temperature, not possible prior to the introduction of LED lights, allows a surgical team to improve contrast and tissue differentiation, based on factors such as the type and depth of the surgery, blood flow and a surgeon’s preference.
It comes down to a better view for a surgeon, and that can only help to benefit the patient. OR managers benefit by having one light that can address varied surgeon preferences, so staff satisfaction is increased and room scheduling is easier. The hospital benefits by being better positioned to recruit and retain qualified surgical talent. Factor in the economic advantages of consuming less electricity to power LED lights, and it’s easy to see why LEDs are the driving force in surgical lighting.

The team at Norlux will help design and manufacture your LED based examination, procedure and surgical lighting systems; call Norlux today!

Reference:
"The future of LED lighting and why surgeons prefer it: Benefits start to push new technology ahead of traditional products"
By Dave Rector, Jan 2008

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