Sputum, blood and urine cultures done in ICU patients at the UHWI showed a predominance of gram-negative organisms. Risk factors for positive cultures included mechanical ventilation > 5 days, CVP line insertion > 7 days, pre-admission infection, prior use of antibiotics, increasing APACHE II score and increasing age.

In 1996, more than 90% of the Caesarean sections at the University Hospital of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica, were being done under general anaesthesia. By 2001, more than 80% of the Caesarean sections were done under spinal anaesthesia.

Vomiting post tonsillectomy is a distressing complication that increases patient discomfort and prolongs hospital stay. Decreasing its incidence would facilitate a move to more day-case tonsillectomies.