Female black bears may give birth to 1 to 6 cubs (twins are most common) in January or February. Black bear cubs may be 1/250th the size of the mother bear, and are the smallest newborns, compared to their mothers, of any placental mammal.
A left ventricular assist device, or LVAD, is a mechanical pump that is implanted inside a person's chest to help a weakened heart pump blood. Unlike a total artificial heart, the LVAD doesn't replace the heart. It just helps it do its job. This can mean the difference between life and death for a person whose heart needs a rest after open-heart surgery or for people waiting for a heart transplant.
Donation After Cardiac Death (DCD) A donor after cardiac death (DCD) is a donor who has suffered devastating and irreversible brain injury and may be near death, but does not meet formal brain death criteria. In these cases, the family has decided to withdraw care.