When thinking about hospital lighting, many people will automatically visualize the bright fluorescent lights throughout the building that make it feel sterile and clean. With advancements in technology and knowledge around the impact light can make on physical and emotional health, hospitals are now starting to consider taking a different approach to their lighting efforts.
This article will talk about the current state of hospital lighting and how we see it changing in the future.
HAIs not only threaten patients' health and life but bring additional economic burdens to patients and the healthcare system, including direct financial loss and prolonged hospitalization. Total hospital length of stay (LOS) is known to be extended by the occurrence of HAI. [source]
At any one time in the United States, 1 out of every 25 hospitalized patients is affected by an HAI [source], and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 99,000 die from their infection.
This article will discuss the different types of HAIs and how light can support the prevention efforts for these types of infections.
One could consider the science of medicine to consist of two categories: diagnostics (the science of finding out what is wrong with the body) and therapeutics (the science of fixing what is wrong).
Interestingly enough, light has proven itself worth in both the diagnostic and therapeutic areas of the medical world.
Phototherapy has evolved impressively over the years as an emerging treatment modality to satisfy therapeutic needs. However, even more impressive is the progress made on the complementary side, where biophotonics, the interdisciplinary field at the intersection of biology and photonics, shows promise to satisfy a variety of diagnostic needs.
At Lumitex, we strive to be a world-class medical lighting system provider, and with that role comes the responsibility to be intimately familiar with technological advancements in the phototherapy market. This article covers phototherapy (therapeutic) applications today and biophotonics (diagnostic) opportunities of the future.
Surgical lighting ergonomics is a hot topic in the surgical world. Overhead lights can have limited positioning and may not provide adequate visibility in deep tissue or minimally invasive surgery. Headlamps are popular, but can be extremely cumbersome and can add strain to the neck during long surgeries, especially with additional COVID protective equipment.
One of the biggest and most concerning ergonomic issues caused by surgical lighting can be that unmodulated high-intensity light can result in eye strain and fatigue.
In this article, we will focus on surgical lighting ergonomics related to eye strain and visibility during procedures and new trends that help improve these issues.
OLIF, also known as oblique lateral interbody fusion, is a procedure that is performed as a minimally invasive surgery (MIS) technique.
Rapid prototyping is the group of techniques/technologies available to engineers to create a three-dimensional scale model of a physical part or assemble them using 3D CAD data.
RP is greatly broadening the manufacturing industry with its easy transformation of assembling a physical object from a digital model to test for form, fit and function. In its simplest terms, it is the process of creating prototypes to evaluate an engineering product design.
As illumination experts, we are dedicated to stay on top of the competitive landscape manufacturers are faced with today. In a world that is constantly seeking faster time to market, manufacturers need to expedite their time-frame and schedules in the product development cycle. Rapid prototyping offers companies the opportunity to remain competitive by introducing new products faster.
In this article, we discuss the benefits of rapid prototyping, compare technologies, and review different prototyping stages and factors that should be considered.
LiDAR, short for light detection and ranging, is a remote sensing technology that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (distances) to a target. A LiDAR sensor fires off beams of laser light and then measures how long it takes for the light to return to the sensor.
At Lumitex, we strive to be a world-class lighting technology provider, and with that role comes the responsibility to be intimately familiar with newer applications, and to help our partners understand the true value in them. In this article, we discuss what LiDAR is, how the technology works, and its many uses.
There are many ways to light a system with LEDs. Two of the most common LED lighting systems are Edge-lit and Direct-lit. Both offer different visual appearances, space requirements, and overall system performance.
In this article, we cover the differences between Edge and Direct-Lit and the ways to enhance each system using lenses, reflector cups, TIR optics, reflectors (specular and diffuse), and diffusers.
Robotic surgery or robot-assisted surgery is a minimally invasive surgery that unites advanced computer technology, high-tech equipment, and integrated lighting. The high-tech equipment used for advanced surgeries would be inadequate without integrated lighting.
Robot-assisted surgery is an ever-evolving technology that holds benefits for the patient and physician. Technological advances have increased the types of procedures that are performed, such as minimally invasive surgeries. These surgeries allow the surgeon to create smaller incisions which results in faster recovery times and less pain for a patient.
As a world-class lighting technology innovator, our dedication inspires us to stay on top of the latest minimally invasive surgery techniques and technological advancements in the market. This article covers traditional (open) surgery procedures vs. robotic-assisted surgery, the growth of robotic technology, and the high-tech equipment used for advanced operations with integrated lighting.
Glass optical fibers have higher information transmission capacity with lower loss. They are ideal in corrosive environments or extreme temperatures. Plastic optical fibers have great flexibility and are lighter in weight. They can withstand vibration and unstable environments.
Optical fibers are most commonly made of 3 materials: large core plastic fiber, small core plastic fiber, and glass fiber. Large and small core fiber optics differ in diameter and manufacturing process, but are essentially the same in terms of performance and characteristics. Therefore, the main thing to consider are the differences between plastic and glass fiber optics.
In this article, we cover the differences between glass and plastic fiber and how to determine when it is best to use one over the other. Although similar, they have marked differences in their applications.
