Laparoscopic Hepatectomy via Remote Mentoring From Jamaica to Trinidad.

Laparoscopic hepatectomy brings many physiologic advantages over open hepatectomy and adheres to all oncologic principles. It is currently considered the standard of care. However, these are technically difficult operations to perform.

Laparoscopic Completion Cholecystectomy: An Audit from the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA) Caribbean Chapter.

Objective Removal of a gallbladder remnant occasionally becomes necessary when retained stones become symptomatic. Although the laparoscopic approach has been described, it is not yet considered the standard of care. We sought to determine the outcomes after completion cholecystectomies in the resource-poor setting within the Caribbean.

Clinical outcomes of single incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the anglophone Caribbean: a multi centre audit of regional hospitals.

Introduction: There has been no report on Single-Incision Laparoscopic Surgery (SILS) cholecystectomy outcomes since it was first performed in the Anglophone Caribbean in 2009.

Methods: A retrospective audit evaluated the clinical outcomes of SILS cholecystectomies at regional hospitals in the 17 Anglophone Caribbean countries. Any cholecystectomy using a laparoscopic approach in which all instruments were passed through one access incision was considered a SILS cholecystectomy.

Stump cholecystitis: laparoscopic completion cholecystectomy with basic laparoscopic equipment in a resource poor setting.

Introduction. Stump cholecystitis is a recognised condition in which a large gallbladder remnant becomes inflamed after subtotal cholecystectomy. When this occurs, a completion cholecystectomy is indicated.

Is emergent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis safe in a low volume resource poor setting?

Background: The outcomes of emergent laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for acute cholecystitis have not been documented in the low-volume, resource-poor Caribbean setting.

Settings And Design: This study was carried out in a low-resource setting across three islands in the Anglophone Caribbean.

Methods And Materials: The records of all consecutive patients who had emergency LC for acute cholecystitis over 82 months were examined.

Is laparoscopic appendectomy safe when performed in a low volume setting?

Background: Similar to global trends, laparoscopic appendectomy has gained favor across the Caribbean but there is a paucity of published data evaluating its outcomes in the region. This study seeks to document the outcomes of laparoscopic appendectomies performed by community surgeons in a low volume setting in the Caribbean.

Methods: Data were recorded prospectively from all consecutive laparoscopic appendectomies performed from June 1, 2006 to May 30, 2011.

Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair in a Developing Nation: Short-term Outcomes in 103 Consecutive Procedures.

Background: There are no published data on the outcomes of inguinal hernia repair from the Anglophone Caribbean. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a series of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs from the region.

Materials And Methods: Data was extracted from a prospectively maintained database of consecutive trans abdominal pre-peritoneal (TAPP) repairs done between June 1, 2005 and May 30, 2012.

Leadership in surgery for public sector hospitals in Jamaica: strategies for the operating room.

The barriers to health care delivery in developing nations are many: underfunding, limited support services, scarce resources, suboptimal health care worker attitudes, and deficient health care policies are some of the challenges. The literature contains little information about health care leadership in developing nations. This discursive paper examines the impact of leadership on the delivery of operating room (OR) services in public sector hospitals in Jamaica.

Treating cocaine body packers: the unspoken personal risks.

Cocaine trafficking is a significant problem that many Caribbean territories must face. "Body packing" is a common method of transport where the smugglers ingest several cocaine filled packages. Body packers may be taken to hospital when they are detained by law enforcement officers, but occasionally they present on their own or accompanied by persons other than the authorities.