Illustrations for Mechanical Life Support (MLS)

Illustrations made for the Mechanical Life Support team at the Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals, in the United Kingdom.

These illustrations are intended to assist teams of doctors and nurses in managing emergencies with patients on mechanical circulatory support. To this end, a series of equipment used in these medical emergencies have been illustrated, as well as the emergency protocols for using them safely.

These instructions are essential to assist medical teams in times of emergency where complicated protocols must be followed and complex equipment must be used without causing harm to the patient.

For this project, carried out in collaboration with illustrator Mikel Rodríguez, a retro graphic style was defined, using a vector technique, simple and flat, with a pastel colour palette and using a halftone pattern to create volumes and textures. This graphic style is clean and ideal for instructional and step-by-step illustrations, without losing its aesthetic value.

In carrying out this work, we have been supported at all times by the Mechanical Life Support team, who provided us with excellent references, videos and feedback to ensure that all the illustrations are correct and rigorous, without losing any detail. It has been a valuable synergy between doctors, nurses and illustrators, from the initial sketches to the final figures. We are very grateful to Waqas Akhtar, Alex Rosenberg, Sofia Pinto and Dinesh Yoganantham for all their patience and support during this project.

Thanks to its ability to communicate complex information in a clear and visual manner, medical illustration has become an essential tool in medical research and practice. At the same time, it ensures patient privacy and respect for the human body by offering accurate and aesthetically pleasing graphic representations.