surgical field. Here's what to look for as you begin your search.
1. Light quality and intensity. The bulb option you choose —
halogen, light-emitting diode (LED), metal halide, xenon — will likely
be determined by the kind of surgery you do. Surgeons who do mostly
"surface work" will be fine with a lower light output — a lower lux, as
it's called — while general and spine surgeons will require a stronger,
tighter beam with more focused illumination.
LEDs are today's "hottest" headlight technology, says Brian
McLaughlin, MS, MBA, CCE, clinical engineering manager for periop-
erative services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass.
As a clinical engineer, Mr. McLaughlin appreciates the cost and main-
tenance advantages that LEDs offer.
"The light is steady, and the degradation curve is more or less flat until
the lamp fails," he says. "Some surgeons may prefer the high-intensity
xenon lights versus LEDs, but in general you're seeing a move toward
LEDs. The old-style lamps burn out much more frequently, and the inten-
sity declines over time."
LED lights are also significantly cooler to the touch, making the sur-
geon more comfortable in the course of a long surgery. They also
eliminate the fire risk from a light source, says Thomas Durick, MD,
staff anesthesiologist at Freemont (Calif.) Surgery Center. "I once saw
a surgeon who was doing a lap chole put [a light cord from a head-
light] down for 4 seconds, and it burned a hole through the drape and
the patient's gown."
2. Power source. You've essentially got 2 options here: tethered
and untethered. Tethered headlights, which are connected by cables
to an independent power source, provide maximum illumination and
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