Artificial Organs is the official peer reviewed journal of The International Federation for Artificial Organs (Members of the Federation are: The American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, The European Society for Artificial Organs, and The Japanese Society for Artificial Organs), The International Faculty for Artificial Organs, the International Society for Rotary Blood Pumps, The International Society for Pediatric Mechanical Cardiopulmonary Support, and the Vienna International Workshop on Functional Electrical Stimulation. Artificial Organs publishes original research articles dealing with developments in artificial organs applications and treatment modalities and their clinical applications worldwide. Membership in the Societies listed above is not a prerequisite for publication. Articles are published without charge to the author except for color figures and excess page charges as noted.