The legendary Queen Victoria Hospital in Ease Grinstead has recently undergone a major redesign of its surgical facilities, developing 10 new operating theatres within a new purposely-refurbished unit to better assist patients suffering from injuries or disfigurement following accidents or disease.
As a leading specialist centre for maxillofacial, plastic and reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation, the hospital has a long history and is globally recognised for its innovative techniques and treatments. 

The team of 900 healthcare providers had a variety of particular requirements to be included in the redesigned facility, and one was to install operating lights with extraordinary performance. Asit Khandwala, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, explained that as the Queen Victoria Hospital is dedicated to plastic, micro and maxillofacial surgeries, it necessitates extremely bright, efficient, cool and shadowless lights to allow for the exceptionally fine procedures. By describing the nature of reconstructive surgery as complex and very lengthy, Khandwala went on to say that it demanded the maximisation of the surgeons’ view by reducing the eye strain as much as possible, making decent lighting a must. According to Khandwala, the quality and outcome of a surgical intervention is highly dependent on the quality of light installed, and in his opinion the new generation of Berchtold lights are a ahead of all other products available.

The Queen Victoria Hospital theatre team had previously worked with Berchtold’s Chromophare HID Gas Discharge lights and the refurbished facilities provided an ideal opportunity for the lighting company to present their newest development, the F Generation Hybrid LED. This innovative type of light combines a patented reflector system with LED light engines, achieving a high-quality homogenous and shadow-free light source.

By using a full 160,000 Lux shadow-free illumination, the unusually slim light head is able to achieve a great focal range despite not having any internally moving parts. Clinical Directorate Manager for Theatres, Mike Bennett, confirms that the choice for Berchtold lights was made not only for their obvious exceptional performance, but also for their consistently high quality and long life-span experienced on the company’s previous lighting installation. Bennett goes onto say that the new system is IP53 certified and remarkably easy to clean, making it fluid resistant and reliable.

In order to cater for the demands of working on multiple operative sites simultaneously with several surgeons, triple light heads are installed each theatre, and to ensure optimum ergonomics, these are not centrally mounted in the room.

According to the project lead for Berchtold, Stephen Coleman, the Clinical and Design/Architects Team concluded the best free moving space of each light head would be achieved by installing the lights and pendants away from above the operating table, creating an unhindered operating and teaching space.
Dr Ali Diba, Consultant Anaesthetist, confirmed that the easy manipulation of the lighting system allowed for exact positioning of the light source. 

The Berchtold 3D planning software ‘ByDesign” was paramount in achieving this satisfactory result, as it simulated the theatre space based on the theatre team’s preferences. Checking the model before completing the actual internal room design guaranteed meeting the expectations of all involved.

Source: Berchtold 

13 November 2013

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Surgery, LED lighting, theatre The legendary Queen Victoria Hospital in Ease Grinstead has recently undergone a major redesign of its surgical facilities, developing 10 new operating the...