Lighting is one of the most relevant elements for efficient and quality work in an operating room: it is decisive, not only for the surgeon, but for the whole work team and for any type of procedure or work done on site. Until recently, lighting with halogen lamps was considered the best because of the quality of the light they provide, but they have a very serious disadvantage: they can quickly and significantly increase the temperature of the place. where they are used

In addition, these types of lamps often have unfavorable failures and power outages, which can sometimes be really disastrous, especially during a difficult and/or risky procedure, and it is necessary to stop to replace the damaged units. Fortunately, today there are excellent alternatives such as LED lighting, which offers many advantages and multiple applications in all fields, especially in medicine and surgery.

What are the differences between halogen and LED lamps?

Halogen bulbs or lamps, which have been used until now, work very similarly to traditional incandescent bulbs, the ones in common use in most homes. A halogen gas bulb and a tungsten filament are encapsulated in the lamp core. This, when energized by the flow of electric current, lights up. The greater the flow of electric current, the greater the intensity and whiteness of the light, and as we all know, the whiter the ambient light, the clearer the human eye perceives images.

The operation of LED lamps (acronym for Light Emitting Diode) is based on the principle of the diode, which allows the flow of electric current in one direction only, ie, it is semiconductors and therefore electricity is extremely efficient, a minimum is enough to obtain a large beam of light.

And what benefits does it offer in the operating room?

Doctors in general look for different characteristics in the lighting of their different work spaces. Among them, the following mainly stand out:

• – Whiter light. In the operating room, the light should be as white as possible, because the physician must carefully observe the coloration of organs and other tissues as an indicator of the patient’s health. If the assessment is in error because of bright tones, there can be serious complications related to diagnostic or procedural failures.
• – This is a key factor in the choice of operating room lights. LED bulbs, as powerful as they are, do not get hot. They can be touched by hand without risk of burning. This, in addition to providing good lighting conditions and thermal comfort inside the operating room, offers greater safety since they do not ignite when in contact with combustible materials, unlike halogen lamps.
• – While the life of a halogen lamp is between 1,500 and 2,000 hours, the life of LEDs is between 30,000 and 50,000 hours.
• – economy. In addition to its long life, energy consumption and air conditioning savings are added. Although LED lamps are more expensive than halogen lamps, their durability and performance far outweigh their cost.

In any case, hospital lighting with halogen lamps still enjoys great popularity in the environment, as it is still a good option compared to other types of lighting used in the past.

Kalstein offers modern control lamps that are very useful in the operating room. We invite you to take a look at: HERE