Troubleshooting the video endoscopy system

1. OR nurses must be alert to the problem of breakage of the light-carrying fibers inside the scope. As the number of intact fibers in the bundle decreases, the amount of light through the scope decreases, resulting in an unsatisfactory picture on the monitor. 2. Fiber-optic lights, like surgical lights, are very hot. A fiber-optic cable disconnected from the scope but left on the surgical field can be a fire hazard. 3. Evaluate the system using the actual components before purchase. Three-chip cameras offer better resolution than, are not as sensitive to light as, and are more expensive than single-chip cameras. However, their higher cost may not be justifiable for your operating room. 4. Just as the camera control unit must be white balanced to know the colors to transmit, the monitor must be color balanced to know the colors to show on the screen.