Perhaps most important is that LEDs provide a better color light to visualize the surgical field and differentiate tissue.

An important caveat with LED is that they use sophisticated lighting elements with advanced circuitry. So they don't fail for a very long time, but if they do, it takes a major undertaking- not just a change of bulb-to replace them or restore functionality.


Halogen--Ripe for Refurbishment

As the new systems enter the market, the existing lights including halogens are deinstalled by expert service companies and these systems are re-sold in the U.S. or abroad.

"As people upgrade we will see a lot more existing [halogen] lights on the market," said Jim Kleyman, President, Ace Medical Equipment, Inc., Clearwater, FL. "The first to adopt the LEDs will be the large hospitals with the big budgets but the refurbished lights will always find a home."

"Historically what happens to them is they move down the line and either end up in the emergency department, research department or sold to veterinarians," Koltnow said. "Our products don't wear out...so a lot of them end up in an aftermarket where they are sold to private buyers like [those on] DOTmed. A good percentage is donated to third world countries."

OR lighting is a category of equipment that lends itself well to refurbishment since lights have no built-in obsolescence and all parts can be replaced. In addition to bulb and lighting elements, replacement parts include the lens, reflector, brushes, wiring, commutators, connectors, and brakes.

"Virtually any light on the market can be restored to like new condition and the end user gives up nothing on light output or quality," Larson said.




"Our refurbished as well as new lights will meet or exceed the original specifications," said Robert Bean, Purchasing Director, DRE, Inc., Louisville, KY.

Bear in mind that this is a technology that must be integrated with a growing number of other hospital systems including a supporting structure, a hub of monitors, often video cameras and fiber optics, medical gases, and even intra-operative imaging systems.

"Each install has its own characteristics; new construction involves the structural steel above the ceiling and getting the site properly spec'd. Replacement installs can be troubling due to many factors, such as incompatible mounts or existing wiring," noted Matthew Graw, STERTEK, LLC, Clyde Township, MI. He added that ongoing maintenance must also be performed including at least two thorough inspections per year, checking for safety and proper operation, adjusting for drift, and proper voltage. "Surgical lights need to be safe, they are used directly over the surgical field," he stressed.

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