Surgical Lamp Lecture

Surgical lamp
Surgical lamp
Also referred to as an operating light or surgical
light head
 Is a medical device intended to assist medical
personnel during a surgical procedure by
illuminating a local area or cavity of the patient.
Surgical lamp
Types of surgical lamp
They can be categorized by lamp type which are :

I. Conventional (incandescent)
II.LED (light emitting diode).
Requirement of Surgical light
A successful illumination requires
A special balance of luminance

Shadow management
 Volume
Temperature.
Requirement of Surgical light
 This maximizes visibility at the surgical site while minimizing
eye fatigue.
 Proper illumination is a compromise to ensure a good
visibility with minimal glare and prevent eye strain for
surgeons.
Therefore we can say, the quality of a surgical light depends on
the amount of useful light found inside the cavity.
i.e. Balance between the amount of light and ability to manage
shadows.
Types of shadow
I. Cast shadow : interfere with visibility
II.Contour shadow: help us to gauge depth and
volume.
Therefore; Effective lighting minimizes cast
shadows while enhancing contour shadow
Cast shadows are influenced by;
I. Surface of the light source
II.How light is guided towards the operating field
III.Number of light sources.
o More light beams improve shadow dilution, improving

visibility for the surgeon.
Volume of light
Because the surgical cavity is not flat, surgeons need
illumination in three dimensions.
Merging several light patches-shinning at the same time
and strength at different heights-creates a uniform of
light.
Therefore, the best surgical light will have the highest

volume of light at the cavity, even when the light is
positioned more than one meter from the surgical site.
Heat management
Light will be always energy.
Heat can cause discomfort for surgeon and can dry
exposed patient tissue.
Therefore a safe heat management is mandatory.
Heat can be measured into two places:
I. Light patch
II.Light head
Heat management
Note
o The more illumination the more radiant energy.
o The radiant heat from the light patch and light head
needs to be reduced to prevent overheating and
laminar flow disturbances.
o A quality surgical light will minimize heat to improve
comfort and patient outcomes.
Maintaining a surgical lamp
o Principles of operation
 function
 use
 scientific principles
o construction
 components
 system diagram
 inputs/outputs
o troubleshooting
 identifying common faults
 replacing components
 rectifying faults
o safety considerations
 user and patient safety
 electrical safety
Surgical lamp: Lighting function
Operating rooms can have several lighting sources.
• General room lighting in the ceiling. Used during the set

up of the rooms, cleaning and as lighting for the staff who
are not working in the sterile field.
• Personal head light
Sometimes: a personal head light that

a surgeon wears to focus light .This
light source may have a multitude of
bulbs in it that can be switched into
use via a knob on the top of the unit.
 OVERHEAD OPERATING ROOM
LIGHTS
The overhead operating room lights.

These can be large reflectors with one
or more bulbs in them, mounted on a
counter-balanced arm that can be
positioned over the site of the
operation. These units have a sterile
positioning handle that is often adjusted
over the period of the operation.
 Mobile operating room light
• Sometimes: a mobile operating room
light. These are large reflector lights
that roll from room to room. They
simply plug in to a 220 volt outlet and
are positioned as needed by the
surgeons.
Surgical lamp: Use
Positioning adjustment; sterile operation
For overhead lights, the distance from the lower edge of the light to
the operating table should be approximately one meter. Initial
positioning is accomplished by using the rail on the lamp housing to
move it into place. The surgeon can adjust the light using the centre
hand grip, which is provided with a replaceable, sterilized sleeve.
Surgical lamp: Scientific principles
Illumination level is measured in foot-candles or lux (1 foot-candle equals
10.764 lux).
• At 1 or 2 foot-candles, a room is considered darkened, but large objects

can be seen.
• 20 to 200 foot-candles are required for reading and other common visual
activities.
• The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA)
recommends a minimum illumination level of 2,500 foot-candles at the
surgical site when the light is positioned one meter above the site.
• Some surgeons prefer 3,500 foot-candles or more for certain procedures.
Surgical lamp: Components
 Infra Red filter: minimize heat
 Reflector: maximize light
 Lamp head: construction
 Counter balanced arm: positioning
 Lamp Rail: positioning
 Control box: control
 Centre hand grip: positioning
 Adjustable sterile handle: positioning
 Lamps lighting
Surgical lamp: Construction
Most operating lamps work directly from
the outlet power through a switch.
Some lights have dimming circuits.

Older dimmers often work with a
rectifier or a variable transformer
(variac) gradually varying power applied
to the lamp and therefore the intensity of
the light delivered.
Surgical lamp: Construction
The overhead operating lights have control
boxes on the wall where the intensity control
is located along with the on/off controls.
This control box usually contains an SCR

(silicon controlled rectifier) control board, or
transformer that powers the lights at some
voltage under 120 volts.
Surgical lamp: Common Problems
Few problems of the surgical lamp are user oriented.
In rare cases, patients are reportedly burned by multiple
lights, e.g. in case heat protection filters are removed.
Special precautions while working with medical lights:
• High intensity lights can cause blindness if you look
directly into the light.
• Therefore, the light should not be used if the cover glass
or filter system is damaged
• Your eyes should be more than 60 cm away from the
lights
There is no calibration needed for operating room lights.
If the light turns on, can change intensity (if so equipped) and stays in place after
adjustment, it is ready to use.
Surgical lamp: Trouble shooting
Many of the surgical lamp problems are

associated with
I. Breakage of wire inside the equipment
II.Failure of slip ring, or fuse or insulation
III.Lamp power supply cables detachment.
A secondary problem is that one or more of

the lights will burn out giving dark spots in
the surgical field.
Surgical lamp: Trouble shooting
Preventive Maintenance:
• cleaning
• lubricating
• visual inspection for damage or abnormalities
Surgical lamp: Safety considerations
The highest intensity lights can cause blindness if you look directly into
the light. The light should not be used if the cover glass or filter system is
damage or destroyed.
 In placing the light to begin work, your eyes should be more than
sixty centimetres away from the source.
 Make sure that the cable carrying the main supply is well insulated
and of good quality to prevent electrocution, there by applying safety.
 Make sure that the wheels of a mobile lamp are always in good condition for
stable standing. Because if the wheels are not in good condition the equipment
can fall causing instant injuries.
END
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Surgical lamp

They can be categorized by lamp type which are :

A successful illumination requires

A special balance of luminance

o More light beams improve shadow dilution, improving

Therefore, the best surgical light will have the highest

• General room lighting in the ceiling. Used during the set

Sometimes: a personal head light that

The overhead operating room lights.

• At 1 or 2 foot-candles, a room is considered darkened, but large objects

Some lights have dimming circuits.

This control box usually contains an SCR

Many of the surgical lamp problems are

A secondary problem is that one or more of

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