Choosing the Right Surgical Headlight

A headlight has three main components: the power supply (e.g. batteries), the printed circuit (which regulates the lighting intensity), and the light source (xenon lamp, LED, etc.).

Headlights can categorized by their type of power source:

• Batteries
• Rechargeable battery
• Hybrid

The advantage of a battery-operated headlight is that the batteries are easy to find in almost any store (AA and AAA) and can be quickly replaced. Some higher-quality batteries offer up to 200 hours of battery life.

Headlights with a rechargeable battery can be charged as soon as the battery starts to run out, so you don’t need to keep a stock of batteries on hand at all times. Whether they run on conventional or lithium batteries, their lights have a greater intensity than battery-operated models. However, if you need to replace the lithium battery or buy a new charger, these may prove difficult to find.

Isolux surgical headlight with rechargeable battery

Hybrid headlights combine the advantages of the two previous devices. They have an internal battery and, when this runs out, they can run on the replaceable batteries.

There are several factors to consider when buying a headlight, such as the lighting intensity, quality, the type of battery, and how comfortable it is to wear.

• Light source: Nowadays, LED headlights are the most common, although there are also headlights with xenon or halogen bulbs. LED lights have the advantage of greater luminous efficiency, which means they consume less energy. They also stand out for their high resistance and durability, with a service life that can reach tens of thousands of hours. In addition, LEDs generate less heat than halogen and xenon bulbs and do not cause tissue desiccation.

• Lighting intensity: This is the amount of light that falls on a given surface area. It is measured in lux (lx). Surgical headlights need to have a high lighting intensity since operating rooms require a higher level of brightness than most other environments, not only because of the absorption of light by blood. For this reason, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) states that surgical lighting devices should provide between 40,000 and 160,000 lux.

• Lighting quality: The lighting quality of a headlight is judged by how closely it resembles sunlight. A headlight must be able to simulate as accurately as possible an environment illuminated by daylight. Therefore, the IEC establishes requirements for color temperature and color rendering index (CRI). The color temperature should be between 3,000 and 6,700 degrees Kelvin (5,800 K being the reference for sunlight) and the color rendering index between 85 and 100 Ra (100 Ra being the maximum value on the scale, corresponding to the reproduction and perception of colors in natural daylight).

• Autonomy: This is a crucial criterion when choosing a headlight. The headlight’s power supply must guarantee sufficient autonomy for the procedures that will be carried out. For example, surgery is generally more time-consuming than an ENT examination and therefore requires devices with more autonomy time.

• Battery type: For rechargeable battery headlights, note that lithium batteries are more efficient than lead-acid batteries. They also have a longer lifespan and charge more quickly.

• Comfort level: You should opt for a headlight that is light in weight, to avoid tiring the head, shoulders, and neck, with adjustments that allow the doctor to work comfortably and remain fully focused on the procedure.

In addition to headlights, there are two types of surgical lighting devices: surgical lights and minor surgery lamps.

Advantages:

Headlights allow the light to be focused directly on the surgical area, reducing the risk of shadows. When one of the other two types of lighting is used, there is a greater chance that the surgeon’s head or hands will block the light. The chances of this happening are increased the more health professionals there are involved in the surgery.

What’s more, because they are small and attached to the head, headlights offer surgeons complete freedom of movement, including the possibility of adjusting the direction of the light to a precise area without having to use their hands.

There are also headlights with binocular loupes. These guarantee a perfect synchronization between lighting and magnifying a specific area of the surgical area.

ESC binocular loupe headlight

Disadvantages:

Using headlights in a dark environment can create too much contrast and cause eye fatigue. For this reason, headlights are used in conjunction with other types of lighting, such as ceiling lights or surgical lights.

The average price of a surgical headlight is 1,160 euros.