Does continuous flow left ventricular assist device technology have a positive impact on outcome pretransplant and posttransplant?
The new generation of cardiac assist devices with continuous flow pattern has a similar rate of pre- and posttransplant mortality in comparison with pulsatile LVADs. However, the rate and severity of posttransplant rejection was significantly higher in the group with continuous flow devices. Further studies are warranted to explain the higher rate of severe rejections.
The brittleness of freeze-dried irradiated bone, caused by loss of the capacity to absorb energy in a plastic way, increases the compactness and stiffness of the morselized grafts. Washing bone with saline alone or treating bone with solvent-detergent but no irradiation had no similar mechanical advantage and the bone did not impact better than fresh-frozen undefatted bone in our model.