Single-chip, dual-gain color-NIR camera for fluorescence-guided lung and breast cancer surgery - Light: Science & Applications

A study in Light: Science & Applications discusses how a single-chip, dual-gain camera can support fluorescence-guided lung and breast cancer surgery by capturing both visible images and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence. The paper frames the challenge around photon-flux constraints in operating rooms and standards for surgical lights. In the U.S., IEC 60601-2-41 sets surgical illumination at 40–160 kLux with correlated color temperature of 3000–6700 K and color rendering index R ≥ 85; the authors measured 50–80 kLux. For NIR excitation at 785 nm, they cite a permissible exposure around 150 mW/cm and used 20 mW/cm without protective eyewear. The work emphasizes filtering to handle orders-of-magnitude differences between visible and NIR photon flux.