Stryker’s “Visum” Surgical Lights

You know I never have considered that the lights in an operating room might make the surgeons uncomfortable.  Then I thought to myself – wouldn’t it be great if we could make the surgeons even better by cooler lighting?  Now we can!

These are the surgeon’s task lights.  They’re often seen as lamp-inverted, shining up into a parabolic reflector of some sort – like at the dentist.  Meet the Visum Lighting System by Stryker.  There are several configurations in single and double-mounted lamps, and lotsa other good stuff.  From Stryker’s product page on the Visum site:

Stryker’s Visum LEDs save money and use less energy than traditional surgical lights
Light emitting diode (LED) surgical lights are on the cutting edge of lighting technology and help surgical staff view a surgical site during procedures with minimal heat and shadows. The Visum LED surgical light incorporates the known benefits of LEDs with reflector technology to create an almost shadow-free surgical site while achieving exceptional brightness. Its maximum brightness and the ability to minimize shadows allow the surgeon to see the surgical site in great detail.

LEDs consume far less energy and are essentially heatless, so surgeons can perform in a comfortable environment underneath the surgical lights. Better yet, the Visum LED has built-in capabilities to transmit data back to Stryker to assure the system is functioning optimally.

Safe and Comfortable Atmosphere
Because surgical LEDs eliminate harmful ultraviolet and infrared rays, the Visum LED provides a safe patient environment and a comfortable operating atmosphere for the surgical staff. Surgical staff can control the system from a control panel, an integrated computer touch panel and/or by voice. The lights are primarily used in the operating room, but can also be used in labor and delivery, ER and trauma departments.

In-Light Camera
The Visum LED system includes a light head that houses the actual LEDs, an in-light camera and a maneuverable suspension that allows the surgeon to easily position the light to effectively illuminate the surgical site. The footage captured from the in-light camera is used to provide staff and students beyond the operating room with a real-time view of the surgery.

Saves Money and Lasts Longer
The system also consumes substantially less energy than traditional surgical lighting, saving the medical facility thousands of dollars over the lifespan of the light. LED technology, while relatively new to the medical field, has been proven in various industries for years. LEDs reduce the likelihood of replacing bulbs, while maintaining a lifetime that is up to 10 times longer than that of a traditional halogen light system.

My friend the ER doc and I had a conversation about the need for a certain type of headlamp for ER work.  I have to show him this article, see what he has to say about it.

Thanks, LED News!