Video assisted thoracoscopic surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Barbados

Smith, Andrew L.; Ramesh, Jayapal; Harris, Ann H.; Fakoory, M.

doi:10.1590/s0043-31442006000100005

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 9 publications

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“…The first laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Barbados was done in 1994 by Arthur Edghill as part of a workshop. In 1996, Dr Ramesh Jonnalagadda did the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital [QEH] (19) and in the same year performed the first thoracoscopy with Dr Anthony Harris, also at QEH (36). Barbados is unique in that the population is small and most care is centred at one hospital, the QEH.…”

Section: The Barbados Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

The History of Laparoscopic General Surgery in the Caribbean

Dan¹,

Naraynsingh²,

Cawich³

et al. 2012

West Indian Med J

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Objective: The first world witnessed a laparoscopic revolution in the 1990s. At the start, laparoscopic surgery was heavily criticized and ridiculed. Despite this, the specialty has blossomed where almost any procedure can be done laparoscopically with the now obvious tremendous benefit to the patients. The objective of this paper is to examine where the Caribbean is placed relative to the rest of the world in terms of laparoscopic surgery and to understand why we are here. Design and Methods: The literature written on laparoscopy in the region was reviewed and contributions were taken from key surgeons in three main islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica. Results: Though the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the Caribbean, in most islands, took place in the early 1990s like the rest of the world, there was relative dormancy for at least a decade in Trinidad and Tobago and even longer in other islands with regards to implementing advanced procedures or increasing case volumes. Reasons for this included lack of funding, lack of operating time in public facilities, lack of information of the public and the medical fraternity but most importantly lack of trained laparoscopic surgeons. This last factor was proven to be the key one in Trinidad and Tobago in 2003, Jamaica 2005 and Barbados 2011, when the return of trained personel engineered the transition from basic to advanced laparoscopy. Conclusion: Despite the delay of approximately 10 years in Trinidad and Tobago and 15 years in other islands, the return of trained surgeons has seen a rapid increase in case variety and volumes in laparoscopy. The wheels of motion of the laparoscopic revolution in the Caribbean have finally begun. RESUMENObjetivo: El primer mundo fue testigo de una revolución laparoscópica en los años 1990. Al comienzo, la cirugía laparoscópica fue muy criticada y ridiculizada. A pesar de ello, la especialidad ha florecido, siendo el caso que ahora casi cualquier procedimiento puede hacerse laparoscópicamente, con evidentes grandes beneficios para los pacientes. El objetivo de este trabajo es examinar donde se encuentra el Caribe en relación con el resto del mundo en lo que se refiere a la cirugía laparoscópica, y asimismo el por qué nos hallamos en ese lugar. Diseño y Métodos: Se examinó la literatura sobre laparoscopia escrita en la región, y se tomaron contribuciones de cirujanos claves de tres islas principales, a saber, Trinidad y Tobago, Barbados y Jamaica. Resultados: Aunque las primeras colecistectomías laparoscópicas en la mayoría de las islas del Caribe, tuvieron lugar a principio de los años 1990 como en el resto del mundo, hubo un período de relativa inactividad por espacio de casi una década en Trinidad y Tobago, y aun por más largo tiempo en otras islas, en relación con la implementación de procedimientos avanzados o el aumento del volumen de casos. Las razones para esta relativa inactividad incluyeron la falta de fondos, la falta de tiempo de operación de los centros públicos, la falta de información del público y l...

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Section: The Barbados Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

The History of Laparoscopic General Surgery in the Caribbean

Dan¹,

Naraynsingh²,

Cawich³

et al. 2012

West Indian Med J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Caribbean

Vinck¹,

Ebels

Hittinger

et al. 2021

Braz J Cardiovasc Surg

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Introduction Despite being one of the main vacation destinations in the world, health care in the Caribbean faces many difficulties. The challenges involved in these islands’ medical care range from low-resource institutions to lack of specialized care. In the field of thoracic and cardiac surgery, many limitations exist, and these include the lack of access to cardiac surgery for many small islands and little governmental funding for minimally invasive approaches in thoracic surgery. Methods Literature review was done using PubMed/MEDLINE and Google Scholar databases to identify articles describing the characteristics of thoracic and cardiac surgery departments on Caribbean islands. Articles on the history, current states of practice, and advances in cardiothoracic surgery in the Caribbean were reviewed. Results Regardless of the middle to high-income profile of the Caribbean, there are significant differences in the speed of technological growth in cardiothoracic surgery from island to island, as well as disparities between the quality of care and resources. Many islands struggle to advance the field of cardiothoracic surgery both through lack of local cardiac surgery centers and limited financial funding for minimally invasive thoracic surgery. Conclusions Cardiac and thoracic surgery in the Caribbean depend not only on the support from local government policies and proper distribution of healthcare budgets, but efforts by the surgeons themselves to change and improve institutional cultures. Although resource availability still remains a challenge, the Caribbean remains an important region that deserves special attention with regard to the unmet needs for long-term sustainability of chest surgery.

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Video assisted thoracoscopic surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Barbados

Cited by 2 publications

References 9 publications

The History of Laparoscopic General Surgery in the Caribbean

The History of Laparoscopic General Surgery in the Caribbean

Cardiothoracic Surgery in the Caribbean

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