The success or failure of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy can be measured in several ways. The landmark clinical trials, REMATCH1 and INTrEPID,2 defined success in terms of mortality and morbidity, compared with standard medical therapy. Indeed, these are the primary benchmarks used by the US Food and Drug Agency when evaluating a device for market approval. On a grander scale, su...

BACKGROUND In left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients, plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-6 are associated with Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS) profiles, reflecting post-operative risk. However, it is not clear how the cardiac level of IL-6, detectable on the tissue samples at the time of implantation, can contribute to predict the post-ope...

To combat the devastating effects of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), body armor that provides extended coverage has been developed. However, this extended coverage increases the armor's weight and may restrict movement. Throughout this case study, a novel technique to assess several armor systems was investigated. Four soldiers performed shoulder and trunk movements while wearing each of t...

below, most of the patients undergoing heart transplantation are on some form of LVAD as BTT. At first, extracorporeal devices were the norm. Implantable devices were initially only used as part of clinical trials, but BTT therapy using an implantable LVAD, allowing treatment at home, is increasingly coming into use since medical insurance coverage became available for nonpulsatile implantable ...