Peter and All,
On the last one, re: LED lights for pupil response -- although I do not yet have enough experience to truly back up my statement here, I'll go out on a limb in saying that with what little experience I have had, and with the concurring opinion of many of my friends who are either also in medical school or are doctors (my wife's a pediatrician, many of our friends are thus also on this same track or in the same field), even the "standard" 5mm Nichia's offer just way too much spill (and way too much light) for a good pupillary response. This is so much so that even the ARC AAA shows some problems with this type of use.
Typically, you're asking the patient to look off into the distance while presenting the light source obilquely, preventing a near reaction (which is used when the "normal" test fails or is questionable, and is also helpful in diagnosing Argyll Robetson and Adie's pupils), and are looking for both a direct reaction (pupillary constriction in the same eye) and a consentual reaction (constriction in the other eye).
The el-cheapo penlight, which are often even outright "given away" by various drug-companies as marketing tools, presents a very focused light with nearly no spill that is(ironically by flashaholic standards) also not so bright as to interfere with proper pupillary reaction assessment.
Anyone with more medical knowledge in the house wanna correct me, please feel free -- I'm just a student, and always eager to learn, and that includes any techniques you can give me to go around this problem.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
-------------
As for the LSHF-P or LSH-P, unfortunately, I have no "field" qualifications being a medical student -- but that said, yes, it's definitely got superior color and detail rendition, and is much better than the el-cheapo penlights in examining the throat of a patient or examining a laceration. Heck, sitting in the ER the other day, I amazed myself in how much detail I could see down "in" my own thumb when I'd stupidly cut it open un-sheathing my new double-edged Karambit (I'm a collector, not Rambo, LOL!). It was much superior over general overhead incandescent lighting, and definitely better than waiting for someone to wheel the portable exam light around......
That said, though, yes, you can literally pop the ARC LSs in your mouth like a cigar and go about your business, but in an emergency situation when you will not have time to consider consciously if your hands are clean or if you need to de-glove to handle your light or if you can risk breaking sterility of the field or contaminating your own expensive lighting tool, well, it's not the most practical instrument to have around, either.
If you're in the office or on the wards, yeah, it's great -- pop into a room and go "hey little guy, open up and say a great big AH for me !" and see his entire oral cavity without needing to rotate the light all around and wonder if maybe you've missed something....but out where blood and gore is flying all-around, you'll have to be the judge as to whether it will be more of a liability or not.
If I were a First-Responder? I'd probably opt for a headband like x-ray mentioned above, a AA extender pack for my LSHF-P, and jury-rig a clip onto its side to make sure that it stays in place. Rubber-band a clear plastic sandwich baggie over the unit (disposable splatter shield), and just click it on like a headlamp right before arriving on-scene......
But hey, that's purely a made-up scenario. Like I said, I haven't had any such experience !
Maybe I should loan my LSHF-P to my friend who is a field medic for the US military (and an RN) ?
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Allen
aka DumboRAT
PS: Question for Peter -- The LSs are waterproof down to 50ft. if I remember correctly..... Assuming that the units are using non-clickie setups, can we submerge them in a low-concentration bleach-water bath for decontamination without damage?
