Now YOU Can Choose the Best Veterinary Lighting for Your Surgery Room

When it comes to surgeries, good lighting is crucial.

Without good quality light, it can be hard to see all the details of what you’re working on, whether that’s a spay, a wound repair, and abdominal exploratory, or anything else.

Dim or subpar lighting can make you strain your eyes while trying to place or tie your sutures. And, adequate lighting is important to accurately note the color, texture, and general appearance of tissues for your medical record—that way, nothing gets missed.

Not to mention, good visualization of your field of work keeps you from craning your neck to see better—which can be helpful for your posture and for preventing aches and pains from hunching over. 

Maybe you already understand the importance of good surgical lighting—but did you realize how affordable it is?

In the past, LED lights have been very expensive compared to halogen bulbs—and maybe that seemed cost-prohibitive.

However, new lights are available at 30-40% less (and that includes a better warranty, too).

So, considering the energy efficiency and performance of LED lights, there’s really no competition—affordable, high-quality LEDs are a great investment for your practice.

Plus, many cities, counties, states, and even electric power companies offer rebates for upgrading to LED lights, due to the decrease in power used.

Specific requirements for rebates vary by location—so be sure to check with your local municipality and utility providers to see what’s available in your area. Because it’s always great to get a cash rebate that can help cover the cost of your upgrades!

So, how do you choose the right surgical light?

When it comes to selecting the best surgical light, there are many things to consider…

• Affordability. LED lights are much more affordable now than they used to be, so shop around and be sure you’re getting a good deal (be sure to compare all the other factors on this list, too).

• Quality. Look for dependability, durability, and a good-value warranty to back up your investment.

• Range of lighting brightness, including high-intensity light, and dimming options to use as needed.

• Adjustable. The light pattern can be adjusted from a smaller, focused pattern, to a larger area of coverage, depending on your needs.

• Precision positioning. You should be able to adjust the entire head and arm of the light, and know it will stay precisely where you put it (we recommend limitless arm rotation and a drift-free design that moves easily when you adjust it, but then stays put where you want it).

• Easy to clean (and sterilizable handles are a plus).

• User-friendly, with dimming and focusing controls on or near the handle.

• Shadow-free illumination—or at least a design that minimizes shadows as much as possible.

• Mounting options that match the layout of your surgery room or suite.

What’s our recommendation?

We recommend the new Burton veterinary LED surgery light.

Why? Because this light checks all the criteria above. Plus, it has a dependable LED, is assembled in the USA, and is backed by an industry-leading 5-year warranty.

At a competitive price point that optimizes design, performance, and value, it’s pretty hard to pass up!

Is a Burton light right for you?

When it comes to investing in new equipment for your practice, maybe the lighting isn’t always the first thing on your mind…

However, surgical lighting is something you use many times every week—maybe even several times per day, depending on the nature of your practice.

That’s probably more often than you use some of the other equipment in your hospital.

So, be sure not to overlook this crucial piece of equipment. You may be surprised how better lighting can make your time in the surgery suite more comfortable and efficient.

Equipping a 21st century veterinary hospital with ICU

““Equip your veterinary clinic’s ICU with the latest in critical care technology. Our guide covers essential ICU equipment, from cutting-edge ICU cages and syringe pumps to multiparameter units and defibrillators. Ensure optimal care for your sickest patients with our top recommendations.””

ICU for the veterinary clinic

The intensive care unit (ICU), or critical care unit, is where some of our sickest patients end up spending much of their time.

With that in mind, it is important to ensure that your practice is equipped with appropriate equipment to help provide the best care for patients.

Whether you're starting from scratch or revamping an existing ICU, it's important to take advantage of everything on your shopping list. We have put together some 'must-haves' for bringing your ICU into the 21st century.

ICU cages

Cutting-edge care should also consider patient comfort, where ICU cages come in.

ICU cages provide a safe and sterile environment. These units can be carefully controlled to provide the right temperature and oxygen concentration for a whole array of patients and conditions, including:

• Newborns

• Animals with infectious diseases 

• Postoperative patients 

• Critical care cases

• Cardiopulmonary diseases 

• Elderly patient care 

A good unit also features easily adjustable lighting for patient monitoring and therapy.

Thanks to features like soft-close, clear plastic doors, these cages should allow patients to be safely monitored while reducing disruption. Built-in IV support, nebulization facilities, and silent air systems all help elevate the care of these patients further. 

Syringe pumps (syringe infusion drivers)

In addition to drip pumps (used for careful intravenous fluid administration), syringe pumps should also be featured in your ICU.

These can help ensure that constant-rate infusion medications are safely delivered, and they can also be used for intermittent dosing regimens. This all helps ensure accurate medication delivery.

A Crash Cart

A well-organized crash cart is essential for any ICU.

It should contain emergency medications such as epinephrine, naloxone, atropine, and dexamethasone, as well as key pieces of equipment such as a defibrillator and multiparameter unit (or individual monitors like a pulse oximeter and electrocardiograph).

At a minimum, it should also be stocked with intravenous catheters, giving sets, intravenous fluids, and tape. Your crash cart must be checked daily to ascertain whether anything needs replenishing. 

Defibrillator

While rigorous staff training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential for any well-run ICU, a defibrillator could help significantly in critical cases.

Defibrillators work by delivering an electric shock to the heart to “break” the arrhythmogenic cycle in cases of VF (ventricular fibrillation) or VTac (ventricular tachycardia).

Defibrillators have been shown to increase the probability of ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation) in crashed patients.

They could make all the difference when managing the resuscitation of a patient with a life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia.

Multiparameter units 

Multiparameter units can provide a wide range of information about your patient.

These units can observe vital signs like blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and electrocardiograms (ECGs). This information is essential for animals under anesthesia, during the postoperative period who are critically ill. 

Ultrasound machine

Ultrasound machines can provide a lot of information about the emergency patient. A point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) can be done at the patient's cage or as part of their initial emergency triage.

AFAST and TFAST (abdominal and thoracic-focused assessment with sonography for trauma, triage, and tracking) will benefit various cases.

This includes animals that present collapsed, with respiratory distress or with abdominal pain, or those that have experienced trauma.

Due to the valuable information that can be gleaned from these examinations, an ultrasound machine should be considered an essential kit in your ICU.

Mechanical Ventilators

Mechanical ventilation may be needed in highly sick cases.

These machines are vital to helping severely hypoxemic patients (PaO2 <60mmHg) despite receiving oxygen therapy, hypercapnic (PaCO2 >60mmHg), or at risk of impending respiratory failure.

Various machines exist, from essential ‘anesthesia’ ventilators to complicated human care unit ventilators. Your ICU would benefit from one of these machines to care for animals in extreme respiratory distress, which could include cases such as –

• Aspiration pneumonia

• Severe heartworm cases

• Congestive heart failure

• Intoxications

• Trauma cases

• Intracranial disease

• Suction machine

A suction machine is well worth having on standby in your ICU to help clear airways in cases of respiratory distress and to manage patients with temporary tracheostomy tubes. It also helps to improve the field of vision during a severe hemorrhage.

Glucometers 

Don’t overlook the basic glucometer!

Not only are these essential for helping to monitor your diabetics, but they provide crucial information for many of your other patients, too. Glucose monitoring in neonates is essential, as well as helping you to manage your toxicity patients (e.g. xylitol poisoning), animals with suspected insulinomas and those with malnutrition. 

Good lighting

Good lighting is essential when examining and stabilizing critically ill patients.

LED exam lights provide longevity, low heat emission, and high performance. The right light will be easy to clean and adjustable and should be designed to reduce shadows on the examination area.

Whether you go ceiling-mounted, wall-mounted, or floor-standing, the right light will make all the difference for your ICU.

Final thoughts

Hopefully, our helpful guide has helped you focus on your veterinary hospital's needs.

If you require help with some of the items on your shopping list, don’t hesitate to contact us!

We can provide an array of equipment, including intensive care unit cages, veterinary monitoring equipment, LED lighting, ultrasound machines, and more. 

Good Exam Room and Dental Lighting: Why It Matters

When it comes to upgrading your veterinary practice, maybe the first things that come to mind are new exam tables, high-tech anesthesia monitoring equipment, or an in-house chemistry analyzer.

Was a new LED exam room light also on your list? If not, it should be. Here’s why…

While lighting is often overlooked, just think about how many times per day a good, strong light could make your life easier.

Times, when a high-quality LED light could come in handy in your exam room, include the evaluation of…

• Lesions and wounds.

• Dental disease or oral lesions.

• Ocular health (you’ll use your ophthalmoscope and other equipment for a more detailed exam, but good room lighting can help you pick up subtle lesions during a routine checkup).

• Paw pads and the spaces between the paw pads.

• External ear structures.

• Dander, fleas, and other skin and coat issues.

These are a few good examples—but really, good lighting can help with much of the physical exam by making it easier for you to accurately document tissue colors, textures, lesions, and other notable abnormalities in your medical record.

Good lighting is essential for dental procedures and surgeries

In our last blog post, we gave some advice on how to pick a good surgical light.

And along those same lines, don’t forget about dental procedures!

The mouth is like a dark cave, making it difficult for you and your staff to see what you’re working on if you don’t have good lighting.

Some things a good light will help you visualize include…

• Calculus that needs to be cleaned—and verifying that all calculus was removed.

• Enamel defects and small chips or fractures. 

• Staining, or other color changes such as pulpitis.

• Subtle bleeding or mild gingivitis.

• Oral abnormalities such as masses or inflammation.

• Pharyngeal or tonsillar abnormalities.

• Extraction sites—before, during, and after the extraction.

• Placement and manipulation of small sutures.

Not to mention, a good overhead light can aid your laryngoscope light during intubation. 

How affordable are good LED lights?

In the past, LED lights were very expensive compared to halogen bulbs—so it’s understandable if you’ve not purchased one before.

However, some brands are now 30-40% less than previous LED prices.

So, LEDs don’t have to be expensive anymore. And considering their performance and efficiency, a good LED light can be a great addition to your practice.

Plus, many cities, counties, states, and even electric power companies offer rebates for upgrading to LED lights, due to the decrease in power used.

Specific requirements for rebates vary by location—so be sure to check with your local municipality and utility providers to see what’s available in your area. Because it’s always great to get a cash rebate that can help cover the cost of your upgrades!

How do you choose a good exam room or dental light?

When it comes to selecting the best lighting, there are many things to consider…

• Affordability. LED lights are much more affordable now than they used to be, so shop around and be sure you’re getting a good deal (to be sure you’re comparing apples to apples, check for the other factors on this list, too).

• Quality and dependability. Plus, a good-value warranty helps to back up your investment.

• Lighting adjustability in terms of intensity and dimming options, as well as area of focus.

• Precise positioning. The light head and arm should be easy to move and manipulate—but then, stay right where you put it without drifting. 

• Easy to clean.

• User-friendly, with simple controls on or near the handle.

• Shadow-free illumination—or at least a design that minimizes shadows as much as possible.

• Mounting options that match the layout of your rooms.

• Comfortable and safe for pets, with adjustable settings you can change as needed, and low heat output.

Here’s what we recommend…

We recommend the new Burton veterinary LED exam light because it checks all the boxes listed above.

Plus, it has a high-quality LED (virtually heat-free and with a 75% energy savings compared to halogen), is assembled in the USA, and is backed by an industry-leading 5-year warranty.

At a competitive price point that optimizes design, performance, and value, it’s pretty hard to pass up!

Why invest in new lighting?

As we said, lighting is often overlooked in terms of equipment upgrades…

But, just think of how many times per day you’ll use a good-quality light in your exam rooms or dental area.

In terms of cost per use, that can make new lighting a great investment—something you’ll benefit from using many times per day.

And if your new light makes your life easier in terms of visualizing the patient and making accurate medical notes… that’s an investment that could save you time and headaches, and be well worth it!

How and Where To Buy Used Veterinary Equipment

During the economic fallout of this unprecedented global pandemic, it’s more important than ever for businesses to stretch their dollars as far as they will go. 

Buying used equipment is a budget-friendly way to purchase high-quality machines and supplies—so you can operate and upgrade your practice the way you want to. 

More importantly, you can buy on a friendly, community-based platform that removes all headaches about negotiating, shipping, and payments—so you can securely get the equipment you need without taking time away from your busy schedule.

In case you’re not already familiar with it, we recommend you visit: usedvetequipment.com. 

This website was started because veterinarians needed a marketplace just for their industry—somewhere to easily buy and sell quality used veterinary equipment from trusted colleagues. 

Here’s what one happy buyer had to say:

“I purchased a digital x-ray system through usedvetequipment.com. The transaction was smooth. I would not have taken the chance without the third party mediator. Brad did a great job and the sellers were great to work with. I would not hesitate to use this service again.”

—Mark Robinson, DVM Montana

Here are a few advantages that usedvetequipment.com offers to you as a veterinarian buyer…

• Quality. On the site, you’ll find products from top manufacturers such as Abaxis, Shoreline, Heska, SurgiVet, Cardell, Welch Allen, Idexx, and much more.

• Choices. Whether you’re looking to invest in something as large as a full radiology unit, or something as small as a laryngoscope or warming pad, you can find it on usedvetequipment.com. 

There are far too many examples to list here, but other items recently sold include endoscopes, Dopplers, stem cell therapy equipment, surgical tools, cages and floor grates, exam lift tables, and much more.

• Easy Payment Options. You’ll be emailed an invoice for convenient online payment.

• Good for Animals and the Environment. Reusing and repurposing equipment is not only a great way for the veterinary community to share resources to improve animal care everywhere—it can also help keep materials out of landfills.

• Safety and Security. We’ve found the veterinary community to be honest in their descriptions of the equipment they are selling—and the standard buying process lets you inspect the equipment upon arrival before your payment is processed.

• Stellar Service. Just check the site, and you’ll find reviews from tons of happy buyers and sellers!

If you’re ready to get started, head over to usedvetequipment.com. 

Here are some things to keep in mind as you shop…

• Compare your options. If there’s more than one listing for the equipment you need (a common scenario), search around and make obligation-free offers. And if you’re not in a big hurry, search over time to see what else pops up.

• Ask Questions. This isn’t a big, faceless online store—instead, it’s all about community! You’re free to reach out to sellers with any questions you may have and to ask us about the details of shipping and payments. 

• Expect the Best Experience. The goal is for you to feel comfortable (and very happy!) with your purchase.

More interested in SELLING equipment rather than buying? Check out our next article, which will have detailed suggestions for how to successfully sell on usedvetequipment.com.

Until then, take a look around the site to browse what’s available, and be sure to bookmark usedvetequipment.com in case you need to come back to it to make a purchase in the future.

Wishing you good luck in your search—we’re sure you’ll find just the right equipment you need for all the services you’d like to offer at your practice. 

A community marketplace like this is the perfect place to buy and sell with colleagues as you build the practice of your dreams.

“… 10,000 times better than any eBay / Amazon kind of purchase! We will definitely look here 1st for future purchases.”

—Sandy Pamplin, Manager Pleasanton Road Animal Hospital San Antonio, Texas

“I recently purchased a film processor through Used Vet Equipment. I was very impressed with the website- pics and descriptions. I received a quick response to my questions. Brad was very professional and thorough in handling the transaction through delivery and tracking info. He made sure I was completely satisfied with the product. I would definitely do business here again! 5-star rating!”

—D Davis, Colorado

Written by: Dr. Tammy Powell, DVM