Why Are LED Surgical Light Sources Replacing Xenon?
by Hospital Product Directory CEOSurgeons require
reliable high-intensity lighting to obtain clear discernibility of a surgical
site, especially when operating in small, deep cavities. Supplementing overhead
operating room illumination with surgical headlights delivers surgeons optimal
lighting of the surgical site at all times, while minimalizing shadows within
the cavity.
Until lately, only
surgical headlights powered by Xenon light sources built by Surgical Light Sources Manufacturers offered
the penetrating level of lighting desired by surgeons. With strength being the
main cause of illumination and visibility, Xenon has been the favored light
source – despite the problems Xenon presents, which are outlined throughout this
article.
With recent
developments in LED technology, though, surgeons now have access to LED light
sources that offer high-intensity lighting equivalent to light
sources that use a Xenon lamp.
To
be precise, both Xenon and LED technologies are now able to deliver up to
220,000+ lux at an average working distance of 16 inches.
In addition to
strength, constancy is a critical factor to consider when evaluating
illumination quality.
Xenon lamps begin to
dull after just 50 hours of use due to bulb cathode decline, bargaining
illumination, and the consistency of illumination across the surgical field.
Equally, LED light sources maintain veracity, providing stable, high-intensity
lighting for over 10,000 hours without degradation.
Heat
Emanation
High-intensity lighting
unavoidably introduces the risk of high heat emission. The danger of patient
burns and tissue injury caused by high heat emission from operating room
illumination is well documented as a patient safety risk.
Multiple factors can
donate to patient burns from OR lighting, the most predominant being immediacy
to sources of light, be that endoscopic, overhead, or a headlight. The closer
the light is to a patient, the more reduced the heat energy is, particularly
with high-intensity lighting.
Deterrence does not
have to be intricate. First and foremost, follow all safety defenses drawn in
the operation guide provided by the Surgical Light Sources Manufacturers.
The second line of defense is to pick the correct light source.
Xenon light sources
output a considerable amount of infrared (IR) light, which is imperceptible to
the human eye and perceived solely as heat.
LEDs produce
high-intensity noticeable light, with no energy output in the infrared (IR) or
ultraviolet spectrums – releasing significantly less heat than Xenon light
sources.
At the same visible
strength, Xenon’s increased energy production can lead to temperatures up to
four times higher at the fiber optic cable tips than those linked to LED light
sources, potentially snowballing the risk of tissue desiccation or damage.
The
danger of Surgeon Eye Exhaustion
When light is too
cheerful, too dim, and/or unpredictable, such as the light produced from Xenon
sources, surgeons’ eyes are forced to repeatedly adjust and strain. As the eyes
regulate under stress more often, they tiredness – leading to a condition aptly
called eye tiredness.
Surgeons are highly
vulnerable to eye exhaustion as they are exposed to high-intensity lighting for
long periods in the operating room over many years. Eye exhaustion often
manifests through indications of mild pain, headache, and sensitivity around
the eyes, and in the nastiest cases, surgeons can even suffer enduring
photochemical damage.
As defined above,
Xenon light sources emit unpredictable brightness across the surgical field due
to filament dilapidation. The eye is forced to regulate and strain as the
illumination lowers, as well as readjust when the Xenon bulb is substituted to
recover full strength – exposing surgeons to a recurrent cycle of optical
change and thus, accelerating eye fatigue.
In contrast, LED
light sources deliver steady intensity at an acceptable level of illumination
for visual insight for over a decade, without over-illuminating the operating
site. As a consequence, LEDs impose meaningfully less risk of optical
impairment.
Endurance and ROI
Xenon bulbs need
replacement at a much quicker rate than LED. While LEDs offer reliable
high-intensity lighting for up to 15 years, Xenon bulbs only last up to 1,000
hours with illumination deprivation beginning after 50 hours of use. This
radical inequality in lifespan means that Xenon light sources are related to
higher costs and upkeep needs while using LED light sources reduces unit
stoppage and annual upkeep expenses.
Xenon bulbs need
substitution every 500 to 1,000 hours, producing frequent disturbance in unit
availability, saddling workflows with supplementary upkeep, and potentially
impacting surgical performance due to unit stoppage.
Adapting to an LED
light source made by Surgical Light Sources Manufacturers not
only meaningfully surges unit uptime, but also provides considerable ROI within
the first year.
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Created on Mar 23rd 2023 01:08. Viewed 117 times.