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| Dr Vaibhav Shah |
A halogen light operates much like a standard
incandescent bulb found in most homes.
At its core rests a tungsten filament in the center of halogen gas
filled quartz encasement. Once
electricity is fed into this filament it becomes illuminated, exactly as its
cousin, the incandescent bulb. As more
electricity is fed into it, the halogen bulb glows brighter, and the character
of the light generated becomes whiter.
The whiter the light – the more clearly the human eye can see the
illuminated surface.
An LED
(light emitting diode) is comprised of a single physical element called a
semiconductor. It can be housed in
either a glass or a plastic translucent covering. As electricity is fed through this
semiconductor, microscopic subatomic electron particles begin to move in such a
manner as to generate energy in the form of light. And as with a halogen bulb, the more
electricity it receives, the brighter – and whiter – the resulting light
becomes.
Is One Medically Superior to the Other?
In a typical medical and surgical situation,
physicians and clinical technicians are principally concerned with two elements
of their light source: color variation and heat.
Color
Variation – Proper visibility for a surgeon or medical practitioner is
critical to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment. If the medical light creates a shift in color
on the tissue it heightens the risk of improper diagnosis of a condition. Lighting color temperature is measure in
°Kelvin (°K). Halogen lights naturally
produce hot infrared light which manufacturers filtered out to produce a cooler,
white light close to daylight, averaging 4000°K. Daylight is measured at 5100°K. LED medical lights have taken it to the next
level by producing a significantly cooler & whiter light than its halogen
counterpart, which is even closer to daylight at 4300°K.
Heat – since the heart of LEDs is a semiconductor,
much less heat is generated in creating the energy that produces light. They can be touched without fear of injury,
and will not cause fires if they come into contact with combustible
material. Halogens, on the other hand,
burn much hotter and brighter. The bulbs
actually generate heat to the surrounding area, and touching one is quite
dangerous and could result in a burn. Perhaps most important is that working
under a hot, halogen light makes the surgeon, medical staff and potentially the
patient uncomfortable. If your surgeon
or medical staff is hot or uncomfortable working under a halogen light, could
it affect the patient experience?
These features are leading many medical facilities
to opt for LEDs in various situations.
However, there are other elements influencing these decisions:
Efficiency - LEDs require significantly less power
to operate than halogen lights.
Reliability- LED lighting has a much higher
bulb-life rate. Halogen light average about 1500-2000 hours whereas LED light
range from 30,000 to 50,000 hours.
Energy usage – LEDs require significantly less
energy than a halogen to produce the same or higher quality of illumination.
Design flexibility - LEDS can be easily configured
for different requirements, making them extremely versatile for various
mounting configurations.
Cost - LED bulbs are generally more expensive than
halogens, but the energy efficient System Two LED consumes half the electricity
of its halogen counterpart, and saves the medical facility thousands when
compared to standard OR lights currently available.
In the final analysis, the decision as to which is
the better choice rests on understanding these differences, how they impact
specific clinical applications and the specific needs of the health care
facilities.
Dr. Vaibhav Shah
www.vaibhavshahblog.blogspot.com
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