Design of a hybrid left ventricular assist device with a new wireless charging system.

Background: The objective of this study was to design a new wireless left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that can be charged without using a conventional transcutaneous energy transfer system (TETS).

Methods: Our new wireless LVAD was a hybrid pump operating in two different modes: magnetic and electric modes. The pump was driven wirelessly by extracorporeal rotating magnets in magnetic mode, whereas it was driven by electricity provided by an intracorporeal battery in electric mode.

Design of an Innovative Wireless Left Ventricular Assist Device Driven by either Extracorporeal Magnets or an Intracorporeal Battery Pack.

This study aimed to design a new wireless left ventricular assist device (LVAD) that solved the driveline problem of current LVADs and the heat problem of the transcutaneous energy transfer system (TETS). Our new wireless LVAD consisted of two blood pumps capable of driving using extracorporeal magnets and an intracorporeal battery pack. When one pump was driven, the other pump was stopped.

Isolation of ESBL-producing Bacteria from Sputum in Community-acquired Pneumonia or Healthcare-associated Pneumonia Does Not Indicate the Need for Antibiotics with Activity against This Class.

Objective In the past decade, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria have increasingly frequently been isolated from various kinds of clinical specimens. However, the appropriate treatment of pneumonia in which ESBL-producing bacteria are isolated from sputum culture is poorly understood. To investigate whether or not ESBL-producing bacteria isolated from sputum in pneumonia cases should be treated as the causative bacteria.