Between September 1998 and February 2003, 204 children underwent cardiac surgery in Trinidad and Tobago for various congenital cardiac lesions. Mortality rate was less than one per cent.

The use of laboratory techniques as part of a rheumatic fever eradication project to assess the prevalence of beta haemolytic streptococci in the pharyngeal region and the presence of antibodies to beta haemolytic streptococci in serum of school children 5 – 15 years of age in the triisland state of Grenada.

Neuroendoscopy is the treatment of choice for obstructive hydrocephalus due to aqueduct stenosis or posterior fossa tumours and has the advantage of avoiding shunt related complications. It is safe and effective for the majority of patients and has a significant role in the management of neurosurgical patients in the West Indies.

Leptospirosis is endemic in Guadeloupe, French West Indies. A descriptive analysis of the patients hospitalized with symptoms of leptospirosis in the Hospital of Pointe á Pitre from 1994 to 2001 is presented. This includes demographic, clinical and biological data and activities at risk for leptospirosis

In-depth interviews were analyzed to determine the critical incidents that contribute to the initiation of substance use among women. The results fell into eight themes, including factors intrinsic to the woman and substance abuse as a coping mechanism.