Karen Bucher

Bio: Karen Bucher is an academic researcher from Association of Medical Illustrators. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medical illustration. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 4 publications receiving 811 citations.

New Frontiers of Medical Illustration.

Abstract: Artists have been studying and sketching the human body for hundreds of years to master visual representation of the human form, and physicians have long relied on drawn interpretations of anatomy and science to learn their profession and to disseminate research findings to the medical community. Now, however, the term medical illustration may actually be a misnomer. Static illustration is still a highly relevant visual communication format, but the community of medical illustrators now includes animators, modelers, user experience designers, multimedia specialists, art directors, and other visualizers of medicine and science. Many work regularly with visualization software that takes advantage of digital imaging techniques used by physicians. For example, data from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) obtained from physicians or anonymized data banks can be opened, viewed, and edited in a matter of minutes in a 3-dimensional environment such as the OsiriX DICOM viewer to get a clear image of live human anatomy. This technique is an invaluable resource for visualizing anatomy and gross pathologies from every angle, and it is no longer necessary to be directly affiliated with a hospital facility, as medical illustrators historically have been, to peek inside the human body. As visualization technologies rapidly expand, medical illustrators’ skill sets grow as we use and apply technological innovations to better educate audiences. The past decade has seen the dominance of computer animation, the revolution of smartphones and tablets, and the emergence of 3-D printing, augmented reality, and haptic simulation—all technologies easily applied to the dissemination of medical and scientific information. This brief review highlights notable work in the marquee dimensions of molecular illustration, virtual reality, and 3-D printing, but in the hands of highly creative individuals trained in medicine and visual communication, the possibilities for communicating science are numerous and profound.

Case-Fatality Rate and Characteristics of Patients Dying in Relation to COVID-19 in Italy.

Abstract: Only 3 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were identified in Italy in the first half of February 2020 and all involved people who had recently traveled to China. On February 20, 2020, a severe case of pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) was diagnosed in northern Italy’s Lombardy region in a man in his 30s who had no history of possible exposure abroad. Within 14 days, many other cases of COVID-19 in the surrounding area were diagnosed, including a substantial number of critically ill patients.1 On the basis of the number of cases and of the advanced stage of the disease it was hypothesized that the virus had been circulating within the population since January. Another cluster of patients with COVID-19 was simultaneously identified in Veneto, which borders Lombardy. Since then, the number of cases identified in Italy has rapidly increased, mainly in northern Italy, but all regions of the country have reported having patients with COVID-19. After China, Italy now has the second largest number of COVID-19 cases2 and also has a very high case-fatality rate.3 This Viewpoint reviews the Italian experience with COVID-19 with an emphasis on fatalities.

Fair Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources in the Time of Covid-19.

Abstract: Allocating Scarce Medical Resources for Covid-19 The Covid-19 pandemic has already stressed health care systems throughout the world, requiring rationing of medical equipment and care. The authors ...

Factors associated with hospital admission and critical illness among 5279 people with coronavirus disease 2019 in New York City: prospective cohort study.

Abstract: Objective To describe outcomes of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) in the United States, and the clinical and laboratory characteristics associated with severity of illness. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Single academic medical center in New York City and Long Island. Participants 5279 patients with laboratory confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) infection between 1 March 2020 and 8 April 2020. The final date of follow up was 5 May 2020. Main outcome measures Outcomes were admission to hospital, critical illness (intensive care, mechanical ventilation, discharge to hospice care, or death), and discharge to hospice care or death. Predictors included patient characteristics, medical history, vital signs, and laboratory results. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to identify risk factors for adverse outcomes, and competing risk survival analysis for mortality. Results Of 11 544 people tested for SARS-Cov-2, 5566 (48.2%) were positive. After exclusions, 5279 were included. 2741 of these 5279 (51.9%) were admitted to hospital, of whom 1904 (69.5%) were discharged alive without hospice care and 665 (24.3%) were discharged to hospice care or died. Of 647 (23.6%) patients requiring mechanical ventilation, 391 (60.4%) died and 170 (26.2%) were extubated or discharged. The strongest risk for hospital admission was associated with age, with an odds ratio of >2 for all age groups older than 44 years and 37.9 (95% confidence interval 26.1 to 56.0) for ages 75 years and older. Other risks were heart failure (4.4, 2.6 to 8.0), male sex (2.8, 2.4 to 3.2), chronic kidney disease (2.6, 1.9 to 3.6), and any increase in body mass index (BMI) (eg, for BMI >40: 2.5, 1.8 to 3.4). The strongest risks for critical illness besides age were associated with heart failure (1.9, 1.4 to 2.5), BMI >40 (1.5, 1.0 to 2.2), and male sex (1.5, 1.3 to 1.8). Admission oxygen saturation of 1 (4.8, 2.1 to 10.9), C reactive protein level >200 (5.1, 2.8 to 9.2), and D-dimer level >2500 (3.9, 2.6 to 6.0) were, however, more strongly associated with critical illness than age or comorbidities. Risk of critical illness decreased significantly over the study period. Similar associations were found for mortality alone. Conclusions Age and comorbidities were found to be strong predictors of hospital admission and to a lesser extent of critical illness and mortality in people with covid-19; however, impairment of oxygen on admission and markers of inflammation were most strongly associated with critical illness and mortality. Outcomes seem to be improving over time, potentially suggesting improvements in care.

Surviving Sepsis Campaign: guidelines on the management of critically ill adults with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Abstract: The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of a rapidly spreading illness, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), affecting thousands of people around the world. Urgent guidance for clinicians caring for the sickest of these patients is needed. We formed a panel of 36 experts from 12 countries. All panel members completed the World Health Organization conflict of interest disclosure form. The panel proposed 53 questions that are relevant to the management of COVID-19 in the ICU. We searched the literature for direct and indirect evidence on the management of COVID-19 in critically ill patients in the ICU. We identified relevant and recent systematic reviews on most questions relating to supportive care. We assessed the certainty in the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, then generated recommendations based on the balance between benefit and harm, resource and cost implications, equity, and feasibility. Recommendations were either strong or weak, or in the form of best practice recommendations. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign COVID-19 panel issued 54 statements, of which 4 are best practice statements, 9 are strong recommendations, and 35 are weak recommendations. No recommendation was provided for 6 questions. The topics were: (1) infection control, (2) laboratory diagnosis and specimens, (3) hemodynamic support, (4) ventilatory support, and (5) COVID-19 therapy. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign COVID-19 panel issued several recommendations to help support healthcare workers caring for critically ill ICU patients with COVID-19. When available, we will provide new recommendations in further releases of these guidelines.

Systematic review of COVID-19 in children shows milder cases and a better prognosis than adults.

Abstract: Aim: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected hundreds of thousands of people. Data on symptoms and prognosis in children are rare.Methods: A systematic literature review was c ...