The right lighting for hospitals

The number one priority for every hospital is patient care, and an important aspect of medical diagnosis thorough clinical observation is the reliable detection of cyanosis.

Cyanosis is a condition where the skin and mucous membranes give off a bluish discolouration, which indicates that oxygen levels in the blood are dangerously depleted. The ability of medical staff to reliably detect the onset of cyanosis by visual observation may be critical to a patient’s wellbeing.

The detection of cyanosis requires adequate power output around the 660 nm wavelength. If the output is too low a patient’s skin colour may appear darker and they may be diagnosed as cyanosed when this is not the case. On the other hand, if the output is too high it may mask the cyanosis and it may not be diagnosed when it is present. The end result is that clinical staff cannot rely on visual detection.

To meet the Australian Hospital Standard and be suitable for detecting cyanosis in hospitals, all lamps must meet two criteria: a Cyanosis Observation Index (COI) of less than 3.3 and a colour temperature between 3200K and 5500K. Lamps with colour temperatures above 5500K provide false positive diagnoses of cyanosis and lamps with colour temperatures below 3200K result in failure to detect cyanosis.

Fluorescent lamps commonly in use may not have a continuous spectrum. When selecting lamps for the reliable diagnosis of cyanosis, hospitals need to ensure that the lamps chosen have a COI of 3.3 or lower, have a colour temperature between 3200K and 5500K and are long lasting and cost effective.

*Stephanie Leung is the Marketing Manager for ANL Lighting.