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THE PROBLEM The facility seeks cutting-edge technology to enhance patient care and stay at the forefront of innovation.

THE SOLUTION Served as a beta testing site for an advanced LED surgical lighting system

As the director of surgical services at Florida Hospital, I can tell you that the light-emitting diode, or LED, is one of those advancements in operating room technology that truly deserves to be called a breakthrough. Our surgeons tested STERIS Corporation's Harmony[R] LED Lighting and Visualization System and found it provided some undeniable improvements to their work.

Florida Hospital, a part of the Adventist Health System based in Central Florida, is always seeking revolutionary innovations that can help us be more productive and effective with our patient care. Our hospital is a large and growing institution, with over 3,000 beds at seven campuses--soon to be eight. We see more Medicare patients than any hospital in the country and are also one of the busiest overall, with I million patient visits a year.

Florida Hospital is a market leader in a high-growth region of a high-growth state. Walt Disney World is just a few miles away and numerous companies have settled here. But Florida Hospital Orlando, the flagship of Adventist Health System with headquarters in Winter Park, is no overnight wonder. It will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. And despite all we have achieved in the last century, we are not resting on our laurels. We are constantly seeking ways to enhance safety, quality and the satisfaction of our patients, physicians and staff.

We have been chosen as one of the nation's best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report since 1999 and we aim to retain that distinction. One way to keep on our toes is by embracing effective innovations. For example, in 1971, Florida Hospital was the first in the nation to install a laminar air flow room that revolutionized joint replacement surgery; and in 1973 the hospital became one of the nation's first users of a CT scanner. Florida Hospital is intentionally structured to embrace relationships that allow for innovation through a special division, the Strategic Venture Group, whose mission is to develop and manage Strategic Alliances with companies who embrace cutting edge technologies and share a vision to improve healthcare.

Our Strategic Venture Group creates Strategic Alliance Partnerships with companies like STERIS that are developing the next big thing. "With Alliance partners, we continue to develop our abilities and core competencies, which in turn provide a benefit to our community and the healthcare industry,'said Donna Lamb, director for strategic alliances for the Strategic Venture Group.

When STERIS asked Florida Hospital to be a beta testing site for its Harmony LED surgical lights, we eagerly agreed. I have known and trusted STERIS and its predecessor for more than 30 years. We already use STERIS products, such as booms and other OR equipment, that are complementary to the Harmony LED light. I have been very pleased with STERIS's maintenance record, training and education. With the Harmony LED lights project, STERIS did not let us down.

According to STERIS, the company is entering the surgical LED lighting market with the "next generation" light, meaning the company has examined problems and glitches with first generation LED lights and developed a product that addresses them.

Our surgeons tested the Harmony LED light in two of our ORs for about six weeks. Initially the light was in one of our general surgery suites, but that OR had less need for the lights because it was primarily for laparoscopic cases. So we moved the Harmony LED light to Room 22 to be tested by the gynecological surgeons who need a very intense light to operate in deep cavities.

Moving the Harmony LED light was a snap because it can be easily plugged in and out of the base of the Harmony LA system, STERIS's modular, flexible system, which we had in both the general and gynecological operating rooms. The new lights do not need a different electrical hook-up so all we had to do was pull the Harmony LA lighthead off its arm and install the new lighthead in its place.

The Harmony LED light brought a number of helpful changes to the OR. To start with, the new light is less bulky to handle than the halogen light. While the Harmony LA head looks like a giant flashlight, with a reflecting cone around one light, the Harmony LED light head looks like a shield with many smaller LED bulbs in it.

Controls for the Harmony LED lights are very simple and closely follow those for the Harmony LA system, which we already were using. Virtually no training was needed. Intuitive controls mean that even surgeons not familiar with the Harmony LA need no more than a couple of minutes of education.

But what puts the LED light a quantu_m leap ahead of other light technologies is the quality of the light. The intensity of the light is 150,000 lux--for reference, the noonday sun on a clear day delivers around 100,000 lux. This light is so bright that we replaced the three lightheads we had in the room with only two LED lights. And, because light is coming from each of the LEDs at different angles, there are few shadows, even when it's shone deep into the body. The gynecological surgeons in Room 22 used the light to illuminate very deep into the pelvis, and by all accounts it performed wonderfully.

Obama Provides More Tailwinds for LED Lighting Manufacturers

One of Barack Obama's points in his stimulus package speech last Thursday was about making 75% of federal government buildings more energy efficient. It was a line that was easy to pass over as high-minded politician-speak but making all those government buildings "more efficient" could be as easy as changing the light bulbs. It reminded me of something that Jon Najarian was talking about a week earlier. See the video here. To recap some of the energy efficient and green characteristics of LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs....

They use 40-70% less electricity according to the LED City Project.
On average they burn up to 70,000 hours as compared to a life span of only 20,000 hours with more traditional incandescent or fluorescent bulbs.
They put-off less heat and therefore a building's air conditioning system can provide cooling more efficiently while using less electricity.

Obama also should love the idea because LED bulbs are environmentaly friendly for two reasons.

There are likely to be changed far less often.
Traditional flourescent bulbs contain mercury and are treated as hazardous waste when it comes time to get rid of them. LED bulbs contain no mercury and are thus friendlier to the environment and hazardous disposal fees don't apply.

The two companies that Jon Najarian recommended for a bullish play on the future of LED lighting are Philips Electronics (PHG) and Cree, Inc. (CREE). To show that the market is catching on to the up-side possibilities, PHG and CREE both recently broke above their 50 day moving average.

If you have a preference to support American companies, Cree is based in North Carolina while Philips is based in Amsterdam. A recent press release by Cree highlights an upcoming project that will see 4,200 of their LED light fixtures installed in a section of the Pentagon that is undergoing renovation.

In choosing between the two companies, I would have to lean towards an investment in Cree because of the Pentagon project that they will soon have under their belt. More federal government buildings, potentially thousands more, seem to be a realistic new market for Cree now thanks to the new administration's upcoming stimulus package.

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Healthcare Purchasing News , March, 2008 by Tom McLaren

Obama Provides More Tailwinds for LED Lighting Manufacturers