Technology keeps advancing each day, and as it does, many sectors benefit from various improvements and innovations. The healthcare industry, for example, has gained quite a lot from the new technologies that have been developed over the last century. One of those innovations is LED technology.
Light-emitting diode (LED) technology is among the most beneficial innovations that have improved the medical sector. In the beginning, LEDs were used as indicator lights for small electrical appliances and circuit boards.
However, today, they have a wide range of applications. You’ll find them in homes, schools, stadiums, and several other areas primarily being used for lighting.
How The Medical Sector Is Utilizing LED Technology
In the healthcare industry, LED technology also has various uses. In this article, you’ll learn about the different ways this advancement is being utilized in this sector. Some of these include:
1. Wound Treatment
In today’s medical field, doctors may use LED technology to treat wounds through a process called phototherapy. In this procedure, handheld devices like those developed by companies such as Luminance RED and others are used.
The gadgets are believed to help reduce inflammatory cells, increase blood circulation, form new blood vessels, and realign the collagen fibers.
This way, the devices are thought to provide faster pain relief from and efficient management of mouth, lips, and genital sores and wounds in other body areas.
2. Lighting In Surgeries
LED technology is also used in medical facilities to provide lighting in operating rooms (OR.) During surgeries, physicians and other medical specialists in the OR often require ample illumination.
LEDs are usually more efficient because they supply sufficient lighting for longer without emitting much heat. This way, the team in the OR is more comfortable, which helps ensure operations go smoothly.
Besides that, LED technology is also used on surgeons’ headsets. This way, the doctor can comfortably move around the OR with a great view of the operation area. As a result, this might contribute to the success of a surgery.
3. Treating Jaundice In Newborns
Jaundice in newborns might occur due to prematurity, infections, insufficient breast milk, or liver disease. Usually, a child with this condition is believed to have an excess amount of bilirubin.
A yellowish chemical component in the red blood cells that results from the body’s breakdown of hemoglobin. If a newborn has high levels of this substance, their eyes and skin may turn yellowish. If untreated, jaundice could lead to brain damage or even death.
LED light therapy is thought to be effective in handling jaundice in infants. A doctor places the sick newborn in a phototherapy device, emitting a blue glow in the treatment procedure.
While inside the said equipment, the baby’s bilirubin absorbs the blue light through the child’s skin. As a result, the device may break down bilirubin into a water-soluble substance that can be eliminated from the child’s body.
In some cases, this procedure may be effective in two days. However, for newborns whose bilirubin levels are too high, the treatment sometimes takes longer.
4. Bettering Brain Health
Doctors might also use LED technology to better the cognitive ability of individuals who’ve suffered brain injuries.
To ensure this, patients go through LED therapy that may improve the blood flow to the brain. This way, the brain may receive enough nutrients and oxygen to function better and heal faster.
Besides that, LED therapy might also impact the mitochondria of damaged brain cells. Usually, the mitochondria’s function is to release Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an energy-producing chemical that may help enhance thinking.
LED therapy may help by ensuring the release of more ATP. This way, individuals who’ve suffered brain damage may begin to think more sharply and clearly.
5. Improving Patient Recovery Time
LED technology might also help to speed up recovery time for patients. Researchers believe that sufficient illumination can improve a person’s mood and energy levels. Usually, natural light is mainly thought to offer this effect.
However, in areas without proper sun exposure, LEDs may help. This is because they can be adjusted to imitate natural light.
This way, they might improve patients’ moods by increasing happiness, which is one way claimed to improve a person’s natural defenses. This way, their immune system might function better, reducing their recovery time.
6. Killing Abnormal Cells In The Body
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is being used today to kill abnormal cells in people’s bodies. In this treatment, a light-sensitive drug is either ingested, applied, or injected into a patient’s vein, depending on the infected body part.
After that, the person might wait for 2-3 days for the drug to leave the normal cells and remain in abnormal ones.
Once this is done, the targeted body part is exposed to illumination from an LED-based device, which activates the light-sensitive drug. The exposure may destroy the abnormal cells in the targeted part of the body.
PDT may be used to treat acne, psoriasis, age-related macular degeneration, and other eye conditions. In addition, it might be helpful with pancreatic, lung, skin, and esophageal cancer. Besides that, it might be useful in treating fungal, viral, and bacterial infections, too.
Even though only a few cancer centers and hospitals offer PDT in most regions, many patients with the illnesses mentioned above may prefer this treatment. This may be because the procedure is thought to be less invasive compared to surgery.
Also, if correctly done, it might not cause long-term side effects or scars on the treated area. Besides that, it’s believed to be affordable, might take a shorter time, and could eliminate the need for surgery.
Conclusion
LED technology has been used in many industries for years now. One of the sectors that benefit from this technology is the healthcare industry. In this article, you’ve learned how this innovation is being utilized today in the medical field.
As provided in this write-up, healthcare professionals may use LED technology to treat wounds, offer lighting in ORs, and improve brain health.
Besides that, doctors might also utilize this advancement to treat jaundice in newborns, destroy abnormal cells in a person’s body, and quicken patients’ recovery time.