[Lighting and surgical exposure with head lamp and optical loupes]

Exposure of the operative field and adequate illumination are essential to cardiovascular surgery. The standard fixed surgical lamp may provide acceptable lighting for most surgical procedures, but the cardiovascular surgeon often needs more intense lighting to perform a small, tedious anastomosis. We have found the fiberoptic headlamp to be a satisfactory device for lighting the surgical field in all types of cardiovascular surgery. Optical loupes can also greatly enhance the ability of the surgeon to perform more accurately. These 2 devices are now surgical requisites to obtain the better results and to prevent hemorrhage and thrombosis after operation.