#Product Trends
Surgical Lights Buyer's Guide
Before purchasing surgical lights, it’s important to consider the following:
For many doctors, hospitals, medical offices and surgical centers, selecting the best surgical lighting for your budget is a complex and time-consuming project. There are many options to choose from and advancements in technology bring significant improvements that help the surgeon and surgical team operate with great visibility. Improved brightness, better light color, and lower heat are several benefits that improve the operating theater and help the surgical team with surgical procedures. Advancements in medical procedures, such as keyhole surgeries and endoscopic techniques, also require better medical illumination systems. Every light used for surgical purposes must adhere to certain requirements in terms of luminance, color, and other variables. This buyer’s guide highlights the main product features and the benefits they bring to the surgeon and the surgical team to help buyers make informed decisions and save time.
Before purchasing surgical lights, it’s important to consider the following:
* What are Surgical Lights and How Do they Work?
* How Much Do Surgical Lights Cost?
* Surgical Light Technology
* Main Specifications to Consider When Investing in Surgical Lighting
* Power Backup for Surgical Lighting
What are Surgical Lights and How Do They Work?
Surgical lights are referred to by many names: Operating lights, OR lights, operating room lights, surgical lamps, and surgical light heads. Surgical lights are medical equipment devices used to illuminate the operating field during surgery. A group of surgical lights providing lighting in the operating theatre is often referred to as a surgical light system.
Surgical lights provide the surgical team with bright, consistent lighting focused on the operation table during surgery. Surgical lights can be categorized based on the light type as either incandescent (conventional) or LED lights. Conventional surgical lights are basically gas-filled incandescent lights that contain halogen at a certain pressure setting. Light-emitting diode (LED) lights have been a revolutionary improvement in the field of surgical lighting, virtually eliminating the problem of infrared radiation caused by excessive heat. Surgical lights can also be categorized based on mounting configurations such as ceiling mounted, on-floor or portable lights, and wall-mounted lights.
How Much Do Surgical Lights Cost?
Surgical lights are priced anywhere from $2,000 to over $40,000. The price depends on many variables and options. Do you need a portable floor light or a ceiling mounted light system with multiple lights? The number of surgical light heads and optional imaging equipment are the most important factors for price. Modern surgical lights are available with a range of accessories that can increase the price. HD video cameras, HD monitors, and power backups are a few options that are typically purchased with a multi-arm ceiling-mounted light system.
The lifespan of surgical lights typically ranges from 10-12 years or longer with the new LED light sources. With LED surgical lights, the chances of replacing the bulbs are quite slim, but if they ever do need to be replaced due to damage or inefficiency, it can be costly. Replacing halogen lights typically cost about $100 to $300 each and spares need to be in stock and nearby. The costs for incandescent lights may increase in coming years as manufactures shift production to LED light sources. Surgical lights are an important investment and asset for medical facilities and it is important to buy a brand that has a comprehensive multi-year warranty. In some cases, extended warranties can be purchased.
Surgical Light Technology
Lights used in surgical lights are typically incandescent lights or light-emitting diodes (LED). Incandescent lights resemble typical domestic light bulbs that emit light from a filament, glowing in a gas-filled glass chamber. The filament is usually made of tungsten. The type and proportion of gas in the bulb varies. Incandescent lights do not last as long as LED lights and they may need to be replaced during a surgical procedure.
In recent years, surgical lights were available with metal-halide bulbs. Metal-halide lights are more efficient than incandescent bulbs and produce a brighter light. These bulbs generally last longer than incandescent bulbs. A major drawback to metal-halide lights is they require a 5-7-minute warmup period. In contrast, LED lights immediately reach their light output. Another disadvantage of metal-halide lights is they contained hazardous mercury.
LEDs are the current state-of-the-art light source for surgical lights. LED lights relies on a semiconductor technology and have many advantages over incandescent bulbs.