Trumpf iLEd surgical light offer color-change benefits

Trumpf Medical Systems has received FDA approval to proceed to market in the US with its iLED surgical light. The Trumpf iLED uses 184 white and colored LEDs to provide 160,000 lux of virtually shadow-free illumination, while the absence of forward heating due to IR radiation enhances the comfort of the surgical team.

The combination of LEDs allows the surgical team to change color temperature, which offers huge advantages for studying human tissue. At 3,500 K, skin and light tissue parts reflect less and the contrast remains intact. Colder light colors (up to 5,000 K), however, were preferred in tests for deeper lying body areas and for longer surgeries.

"Because of its adjustable color temperature, iLED offers excellent contrast representation," explained Professor Friedrich Hennig, Head Surgeon of the Department for Emergency Medicine at the University Clinic in Erlangen, Germany. Regardless of whether surgeons are operating on tissue in which the blood flow is heavy or light, they can make the contrast more visible by changing the color temperature.

Effect of changing color temperature Current studies prove that color temperature also influences the ability to concentrate, which can be a significant benefit during longer surgical procedures. One reason is that when the eyes get tired and the concentration lapses, cold or blue color tones are perceived as a relief. Either way, the surgical team has a choice.

The light has been designed to minimize shadows. Each LED has its own convergence lens, and the individual outputs overlap to form an homogenous light field. Even potentially extreme shadowing created by surgeon positioning, for example, can be compensated for by switching off unnecessary LEDs and increasing the intensity to the remaining ones.

The use of LEDs also minimizes the cost, time and surgical interruptions related to changing more expensive halogen or gas discharge bulbs commonly used in today's surgical lights.

The iLED was introduced in Europe in November 2005 by Trumpf Medizin Systeme of Puchheim, Germany, and has received high praise in actual clinical use, says the company. The FDA notification allows US medical facilities and patients to immediately begin benefiting from the numerous advantages offered by the Trumpf iLED: many of which are not available from any other surgical light.