Academic Illustrations: ECLS in Trauma
Industry: Medical research
Client type: Academic surgical team
Purpose: Peer-reviewed publication
Deliverables: A series of four precise anatomical and procedural illustrations
Year: 2023
Project Description
A team of trauma physicians required detailed medical illustrations to accompany their peer-reviewed research on Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) in trauma patients, a high-acuity intervention used when conventional resuscitation approaches are insufficient to maintain circulation and oxygenation following severe injury.
ECLS encompasses techniques including Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (ECPR) and veno-arterial ECMO (VA-ECMO), in which blood is circulated outside the body through an oxygenator before being returned to the patient. In trauma contexts, ECLS is increasingly used as a bridge to definitive surgical management in patients with refractory cardiac arrest or haemorrhagic shock. Research in this area is active and the clinical evidence base is developing rapidly.
The illustrations needed to accurately depict the ECLS circuit, cannulation approach, and patient context at a level of detail appropriate for a specialist readership of trauma surgeons and critical care physicians. They also needed to meet the visual standards required for publication in a peer-reviewed clinical journal: precise, clean, and able to stand alongside academic text without overwhelming it.
Our Solution
Kryski Biomedia developed precise anatomical and procedural illustrations tailored to the specific subject matter of ECLS in a trauma setting. Each illustration was developed in close reference to the research team’s clinical data and reviewed for anatomical and procedural accuracy before submission.
The illustration approach prioritised clarity of the procedural logic: cannulation sites, circuit direction, key anatomical landmarks, and the relationship between the patient and the extracorporeal circuit were all rendered to be immediately legible to a specialist reader. Line weight, labelling, and level of anatomical detail were calibrated for journal reproduction at standard publication sizes.
The work was produced in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and delivered in formats suitable for journal submission and editorial review.
Why peer-reviewed publications require specialist medical illustrators
Illustrations submitted for peer-reviewed publication are reviewed by specialist readers who will identify any anatomical inaccuracy, procedural misrepresentation, or visual ambiguity. A single error (a mislabelled landmark, an incorrect cannulation site) can result in revision requests, delays, or rejection.
Medical illustrators with graduate-level biomedical science training bring the scientific literacy to review primary literature, understand the clinical procedure being depicted, and make accurate illustration decisions independently, without requiring the research team to manage every visual detail. Kryski Biomedia routinely works directly with physicians and researchers on publication-quality work across surgical, clinical, and basic science subject matter.
Services: Medical Illustration, Surgical Illustration, Academic Publication Graphics
