Ventricular assist devices (VADs) have been shown to offer a significant survival benefit over medical therapy in patients with advanced heart failure. Despite significant advances in device technology and surgical technique, VAD-specific infections still remain among the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with VADs. VAD-specific infections may involve the driveline exit ...

Microorganisms commonly attach to living and nonliving surfaces, including those of indwelling medical devices, and form biofilms made up of extracellular polymers. In this state, microorganisms are highly resistant to antimicrobial treatment and are tenaciously bound to the surface. To better understand and control biofilms on indwelling medical devices, researchers should develop reliable sam...

background: despite several reports regarding the use of the occlutech figulla® flex septal occluder (offso) in adults, there are few reports on its use in children. we sought to study the result of the transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect (asd) using the offso in children ≤ 12 years. methods: w e enrolled 45 consecutive patients, ranging from 2.5 to 12 years of age, in two large pedia...

BACKGROUND Infection is a serious complication of cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) placement and requires device removal for attempted cure. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied the rate, risk factors, and outcomes of CIED infection in 74 consecutive patients with bacteremia caused by Gram-positive cocci (GPC) other than Staphylococcus aureus between 2001 and 2007. CIED infection...