A good lighting is critical to the safety and efficiency of a surgery, specifically in lateral, minimally invasive and deep cavity cases.

Researchers from Texas A&M University have developed a new wireless device that allows for direct illumination during surgeries. This device can improve surgical illumination, make many existing procedures easier to perform, and potentially reduce complication rates.

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Sung Il Park, assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, helped develop the device, which consists of a light within a surgical patty. Patty is a pad used during operations to protect tissues and manage fluid. The patty design allows for illumination in the exact spot where the surgeon is working, reports Texas A&M Today.

Park’s invention combats the absence efficacy of most surgical lighting devices that can’t provide high-light intensity in a specific area, leaving surgical procedures vulnerable to low-light conditions and creating the potential for complications. Not only does the new device illuminate the surgical field, it also absorbs biofluids or blood in a surgical spot.

“The lighted surgical patty is a multilayer patty, wherein one of the layers includes a lighting apparatus,” Park said. “Two outer layers of the lighted surgical patty include nonabsorptive fibers woven near their borders to form a uniform surface that sandwiches together a center lighted layer. The center lighted layer has an LED light encapsulated in a biocompatible layer. The center lighted layer may also contain a number of LED lights arranged in various formations so as to provide a unique lighted environment for various surgical settings.”

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For this project, Park is working closely with Clinton Morgan, neurosurgery resident. He said the device could eliminate the need for extra surgical patties and lighting devices, and could ultimately reduce surgery time and costs.

“We filed an international patent in 2017,” Park said. “Kogent Inc., one of the biggest surgical tool companies, agreed on the license and is looking into a path to commercialization. Hopefully, we can see the light apparatus being used for surgeries by next year.”