We describe a thymidine-dependent small-colony variant of Staphylococcus aureus associated with left ventricular assist device infection and prosthetic valve and pacemaker endocarditis.

The past five years have seen remarkable growth in the use of durable, continuous flow left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) with associated improvements in mortality, quality of life, functionality and end-organ function. To sustain the growth of this important therapy, the LVAD community must now address key issues focused around the costs of LVAD care, refined patient selection, and reducin...

A non-invasive device has been developed to monitor the diaphragm position and the blood flow in artificial heart assist devices equipped with a pressurised-air-driven diaphragm. Light scattering from the diaphragm is used as a mechanism for measuring. Information about the position of several points of the diaphragm can be obtained. The completely empty or filled situation can be detected and ...

Dedication I would like to dedicate this thesis to the people closest to me. My mother's influence could only be equaled by a higher power. My father has grown to be a solid rock in my life. My uncle brought joy to my childhood and continues to be a close friend. My stepmother gave me guidance in the very basic and important aspects of life. My little brothers and sister have taught me how to l...

© 2012 Matsuura and Naruse, licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Use of Silicone Elastomer-Based Microfluidic Devices and Systems in Reproductiv...