From the March 2012 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


Another benefit to LED lights is that they have an extremely long life cycle. Halogen lights tend to last around 1,000 hours, meaning they typically need to be replaced on a monthly basis; LED lights, on the other hand, can last for more than 30,000 hours. “You're going to get probably up to 10 years of life out of an LED, so you get rid of that reoccurring cost, which is always something that you have to take into consideration,” says Palmer.

A third favorable feature of LED lights is their ability to adjust color temperature in order to achieve superior visualization based on the type of procedure being performed and/or what the surgeons prefer.


“When you talk about the surgeon’s preference for a certain color temperature, you really have to put yourself in the position of the OR manager,” says Dave Rector, TRUMPF’s director of marketing communications. “The OR manager is trying to satisfy different surgeons and obviously all the hospitals are competing for the best surgical talent. You can’t expect that all the surgeons at a given hospital are going to agree on what color temperature they prefer; it’s a subjective thing and it also has to do with what kind of surgery they specialize in. So the ability to change color temperature just changes the life of the OR manager in that now you have a light that every one of your surgeons can be happy with.”

Additionally, LED lights use lower power consumption, making them a more environmentally friendly alternative to halogen.

Although LED lights are taking over on the new equipment side of the spectrum, halogen lights still have some shine in the refurbished market. “LEDs really haven’t hit the used market in a big way yet,” says Jerry Burton, director of sales and marketing for refurbished surgical equipment dealer Beacon Surgical. “They’re starting to, but it’s slow and as they do, there’s a lot more cost involved, obviously. They’re still in high demand, so it’s at a premium when they do hit the market.” Burton approximates that 98 percent of the refurbished lights he sells are still halogen.

The prices of refurbished OR lights, naturally, are significantly less than those of new. “[For] around $1,000 you could probably get a set of OR lights if they’re older and not in the best condition.”

Some refurbished halogen lights could cost upwards of $8,000, he says, and refurbished LEDs are typically twice that amount.

“Even though the halogens may not be quite what LEDs are, they’re still good lights that doctors have used for years,” says Burton. “If they can maintain those and keep them in good working order, then they can use that money for other areas of their budget that have been constrained.”

March 2012 Magazine

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