Intracoronary stent implantation in Jamaica. The initial experience

Intracoronary stent implantation resulted in the complete or near complete dilatation of high grade occlusions of the left anterior descending coronary arteries in the four patients in whom it was undertaken. Intracoronary stent implantation is a useful adjunct to Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty (PTCA) and is applicable in selected patients with symptomatic ischaemic heart disease in a developing country with limited health resources like Jamaica. This is so since financial data presented here document the significant savings this technique (when appropriately utilised) could realise compared to the use of balloon angioplasty alone.

Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty for severe rheumatic mitral stenosis in Jamaica: the initial experience

Although percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty has been performed in the Caribbean before, there has not been any detailed description in the English-speaking West Indian Medical literature hitherto. This report provides a description of the first four cases of percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty performed in Jamaica.

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in Jamaica. Preliminary results

This is the first detailed report from the Anglophone Caribbean of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). The procedure resulted in complete dilatation of the occluded vessels in the five patients in whom it was undertaken, with significant improvement in exercise duration in the Bruce protocol (p < 0.001; 95CI 2.5 to 4.1 minutes) in the four patients who were studied. PTCA can be undertaken in developing countries with limited resources, and should be offered to selected patients with symptomatic coronary artery disease who need a revascularisation procedure.