Psychological Effects of "Double Crisis" (COVID-19 Pandemic and Earthquakes) on Croatian Medical Students

INTRODUCTION

In 2020. the COVID-19 pandemic presented an additional source of stress and anxiety not just to the general population but also to medical students who are, even under normal circumstances, constantly under pressure due to demanding student duties. In addition, they experienced a series of devastating earthquakes in and around the Zagreb region which altogether could have had compromised their psychological well-being. The aim of this review was to evaluate the psychological effects of these two natural disasters on the mental health of Croatian medical students.

RESULTS

According to standardized questionnaires for depression and anxiety evaluation, 75.3% of students were anxious and 65.2% were depressive during the "double crisis". No significant difference of these two outcomes was observed regarding genders, but it was found that first year students had a significantly higher anxiety score than older ones.

CONCLUSION

In such stressful situations, we should emphasize the importance of mental health not just of healthcare workers, but also of medical students in order to prevent serious psychological consequences and to alleviate the negative effects on students' motivation and their educational process.

Rare Complication of Necrotizing Pancreatitis: Extension of Retroperitoneal Abscess into Femoral Region

Distant abscesses are uncommon during the episode of acute pancreatitis (AP). However, these are possible sequalae of necrotizing pancreatitis and should be treated appropriately to prevent serious septic complications. We demonstrate a case of a 56-year-old male patient who presented with severe necrotizing pancreatitis and distant retroperitoneal abscess that reached femoral region and was detected on diagnostic imaging scans. Combination of surgical and supportive therapy was employed, and the patient recovered well with no permanent consequences. Our article highlights the importance of quick and accurate diagnosis and timely intervention in this rare type of pancreatitis complication.

Emergency Ilio-femoral Bypass during Kidney Transplantation due to External Iliac Artery Dissection: Case Report

Intraoperative iliac artery dissection during kidney transplantation is a rare but serious complication that requires prompt intervention. We present a case of right external iliac artery dissection during deceased donor kidney transplantation. A 57-year-old male patient underwent standard pretransplant evaluation and had no signs of either significant aortoiliac occlusive disease or peripheral arterial occlusive disease. Diabetic nephropathy, arterial hypertension and smoking were the underlying causes of the patient's end-stage renal disease. Transplantation was performed in the standard fashion. The kidney was positioned in the right iliac fossa and the venous end to-side anastomosis was performed first. A significant dissection of the right external iliac artery was found on arteriotomy. Immediate ilio-femoral bypass with a vascular prosthesis was performed. During two years of follow-up the kidney function is stable and there are no signs of lower limb vascular insufficiency.