Surgical Lights

Proper light is a critical element in the success and outcome of a surgical procedure.  Before the invention of electric lights, sunlight was the primary light source unless candlelight had to be used in emergency situations. Fortunately for us, major technological advancements continuously improved the color, brightness, shadow control, reliability, energy efficiency, and ease of use.  Surgical light systems are used in medical offices, ambulatory surgery centers, hospitals, research facilities, educational institutions, and veterinary clinics throughout the world. Surgical lights are called by many names: operating room lights, operating room lamps, operation lights, OR lights, surgical lamps, surgical procedure lights, procedure lights, and procedure lamps.

Surgical procedures require a high degree of performance and accuracy from the surgical team, surgical equipment, and surgical supplies. Surgical lighting is one of the most important surgical equipment items in the operating room. Sometimes called OR lights, surgical lights provide focused, bright lighting to the surgical site. This provides the surgeons and the surgical team with a highlighted view of the surgical site.

Modern surgical lights use halogen lights, xenon lights, metal halide lights, or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as their light source.  Some manufacturers like Medical Illumination have stopped producing halogen surgical lights and only produce LED surgical lights because of significant advantages to LED light sources.  LED light sources provide bright, accurate colors while using less energy and producing very little heat in the operating theater.

Surgical lights are available in movable floor models and a variety of mount options.  Surgical lights are commonly mounts on walls and from ceilings.  Ceiling surgical lights are commonly installed with using 1 or more arms.  Each arm can hold one surgical light head, high-definition video camera, high-definition monitor, or surgical accessories.  Ceiling surgical lights are designed for efficiency and flexibility.  The suspension arms allow for a smooth, wide range of lateral and horizontal movement providing the best positioning and light coverage for the surgical procedure.

Surgical lights configured with the latest high-definition cameras and high-definition monitors provide the surgical team with great lighting and the latest technology to help them operate more accurately than ever.

Surgical lights are often compared by three measurements. 1) Lux: a measurable unit of illumination measures at 1 meter from the light source. 2) Color Temperature: a measurement of the hue of a light source, usually measured in degrees Kelvin. 3) Color Rendering Index: a measurement of a light source to reveal the colors of an object compared to a reference light source.

Keeping the operating room as sterile as possible is critical to surgical success, patient recovery and preventing the spread of harmful contaminants.  For that reason, many surgical lights use disposable handle covers or sterilizable handles.

If you are interested in purchasing a new surgical light, contact us or visit the Medical Illumination LED surgical lights: MI-750, MI-1000, and System Two.