March 31, 2023 - A team of cardiologists, electrophysiologists from the Clinic for Diseases of the Heart and Blood Vessels and the Pediatric Clinic of KBC Rijeka successfully implanted a subcutaneous cardioverter-defibrillator, a device with an electrode, in a boy on March 23.

At KBC Rijeka, for the first time in Croatia, a subcutaneous ICD - a device for delivering electric shocks in case of cardiac arrest - was implanted in a child patient, KBC Rijeka reported at a press conference on Thursday, writes 24Sata.

Sandro Brusich, an interventional cardiologist at the Clinic for Heart and Blood Vessel Diseases, stated that classic cardioverter-defibrillators are introduced through blood vessels to the heart, where they are fixed. However, such electrodes in the form of wire in young and active people can break and lose their function over time, so an operative replacement is required, a very risky procedure. With the new technology, the electrode is placed on the chest under the skin, and the device itself is placed under the armpit, he said.

This procedure is somewhat more complex than the previous one, but it can become routine, said Brusich.

He added that this method was used for the first time in Croatia last year and has since been used on several people, and in Rijeka, it was used on a child for the first time.

Ovuka: It is important to educate yourself about the basics of resuscitation techniques

Aleksandar Ovuka, an interventional cardiologist at the Pediatric Clinic, said that sudden cardiac deaths due to cardiac arrhythmias are most dangerous in children up to the age of two and then in adolescents. Sixty percent of children with fatal arrhythmia never had previous signs such as fainting or chest pain, which would indicate the need for intervention, he said.

Ovuka and another interventional cardiologist at the Pediatric Clinic, Neven Čače, particularly emphasized the importance of resuscitating a person who has suffered a cardiac arrest as quickly as possible. It is good to educate yourself about the basics of resuscitation techniques in order to act until the emergency medical services arrive, but any resuscitation is better than none, Čače emphasized.

"If a cardiac arrest occurs, it is necessary to call emergency medical aid and immediately start resuscitation, primarily by heart massage, because the interruption of circulation in the brain for longer than three to five minutes leads to irreversible brain damage."

This method of implanting a subcutaneous device is still rarely used in Croatia, and the reason is the high price of this technology. A classic transvenous cardioverter-defibrillator costs around 4,500 euros, and a subcutaneous one costs 30,000 euros, it was pointed out.

The father of the young patient also spoke at the press conference, emphasizing the extraordinary knowledge and commitment of the doctors and nurses in saving the child's life. He kept his composure and, at the crucial moment, began to resuscitate his son, who had a cardiac arrest at home.

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August the 20th, 2022 - Dismissals have taken place at Rijeka Hospital (KBC Rijeka) following the discovery of expensive items ranging from perfume and jewellery to cancer treatment being hidden in the facility's cellar.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Rijeka Hospital has confirmed the termination of the contracts of three staff members, stating that "they were forced to terminate their contracts due to the protection of patients' interests and the necessity of preventing further material damage to the institution and to the state budget". Unofficially, it has been circulating that the value of the drugs which had been hidden and stored is in the millions.

The former president of the Clinic, a former head nurse and a nurse from the departmental pharmacy all allegedly received extraordinary dismissals.

Regarding the above, the appropriate reports were submitted to the competent judicial authorities. That is why at this moment in time, the directorate of Rijeka Hospital explained, they're unable to provide additional information.

Unofficially, it has been circulating that a large quantity of expired cytostatics was found not in the ward pharmacy, but in the cellar warehouse of the Clinic. According to the rules, these drugs, some of which are very expensive and are procured specifically for an individual patient, would have to be returned to the hospital pharmacy and properly stored if not used. Where did such quantities of drugs, the value of which is still being assessed, come from in the cellar? Whether they were being given to patients or simply hidden away down there is not yet known. However, the hospital has stated that this is completely illegal.

According to Rijeka Hospital, the treatment and lives of the patients were not endangered by these very serious violations of obligations of the employment relationship.

Material damage

Inadequately stored and hidden medicines undoubtedly point to the negligent doing of business and severe material damage. Rijeka Hospital's directorate has stated that "During the internal procedures undertaken to properly determine the condition, the directorate prepared a proposal for one nurse, due to her age, to be transferred to an easier position (in which she will not be responsible for medicines and consumables). That employee cancelled the agreed meeting with the administration right before the start. We had no knowledge of the employee's serious illness," they said from the directorate.

According to Rijeka Hospital, the work of the Radiotherapy and Oncology Clinic is going smoothly.

Expensive drinks, jewellery, art...

Novi list has reported that hospital circles have learned that, among other things, 74 bottles of expensive alcoholic beverages have been found on the official premises of the Clinic for Radiotherapy and Oncology, the introduction of which is prohibited by the regulations of Rujeka Hospital from 2019. The drinks being there represents a serious violation of employee obligations, and other items that must not be stored in the Clinic premises, such as pieces of gold jewellery, art, and more than 150 used gift bags, were also allegedly dscovered.

It is estimated that the material damage amounts to more than one million euros in total, encompassing expensive medicines, othe types of medical equipment and materials that were improperly stored, i.e. hidden in the clinic's cellar in special locked rooms to which three female employees only had access. It had been very strictly ordered that no one apart from them may enter those hospital premises.

Extraordinary dismissals

As a rule, the extraordinary termination of an employment contract is done due to properly established serious violations of employment duties and comes into force on the day of delivery of the decision. In this case, workers don't have the right to a notice period and severance pay, all their work rights cease and they don't have the right to unemployment benefits.

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ZAGREB, 16 Oct, 2021 - The KBC Rijeka hospital has denied reports by several media outlets about the death of a 76-year-old patient, noting that the man was admitted in August and died on 4 September and was not one of the patients who earlier this week got infected with coronavirus at the hospital's gastroenterology ward.

Regarding media reports about a 76-year-old man who died at KBC Rijeka and who had been vaccinated, was negative upon admission and was subsequently diagnosed with COVID-19, the hospital said that that was not the patient who earlier this week was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The patient from the media reports was admitted in August to the hospital's neurology ward for the treatment of the carotid arteries. He was negative for coronavirus upon admission, having been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but a few days later he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and died on 4 September, the hospital said.

Twenty-four patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 at the KBC Rijeka hospital's gastroenterology ward this past week and they were temporarily relocated to the ward for COVID-19 patients, the hospital said.

They are all stable and the timely application of epidemiological measures has prevented the further spreading of the virus, the hospital stressed.

All staff at the gastroenterology ward were tested for the virus, and the infection was detected in one doctor, two nurses who were not in contact with the infected patients, and one non-medical staff member.

The hospital believes that the infection was brought into the hospital system by a patient during the period of incubation.

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May the 23rd, 2021 - HBOR representatives have been busy touring a highly successful Rijeka project which it has supported with both capital investments and export activities for years.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, HBOR representatives, together with the leaders of JGL visited the works on the construction of the Integra 2020 project recently, they also toured its warehousing capacity, which includes three units - one for research and development, one for commercial production and one logistics centre.

"HBOR has been successfully supporting us in capital investments and export activities for many years, recognising us as a company with an international vision, and this is also an opportunity to thank them for our strong cooperation. After supporting the investments in JGL Pharma Valley, Integra 2020 was financed mostly from a long-term loan from HBOR in the amount of 280 million kuna,'' said Mislav Vucic, Executive Director of JGL.

The new investment project will enable the company to increase its capacity of sterile production by as much as 60 percent and significantly raise the development and technological competence of the company and its global competitiveness for further international growth in the planned horizon of one decade.

"JGL is one of the flagships of the Croatian economy, a company that has shown that Croatian businesses can be technological innovators and strong exporters to international markets, in an industry that requires extremely sophisticated products. I'm looking forward to HBOR being part of the growth and development of JGL. I'm convinced that we'll continue to cooperate with JGL and provide support for their new successes by lending and insuring exports,'' said Hrvoje Cuvalo, a member of the Management Board of HBOR, who was among the HBOR representatives visiting the site.

"The role of the Croatian Government and HBOR in terms of encouraging exporters and production companies with the aim of strengthening the competitiveness of the Croatian economy is extremely important. I'm proud that at JGL, despite the coronavirus crisis, are successfully continuing with investments that are an investment in our future, and with which we're striving for further steps in the global health market. It's especially important that the Integra 2020 project, through new research and development capacities, will enable even stronger networking with the scientific and teaching sector, as well as strengthening the platform for further growth of our country in the field of pharmaceutical and biotechnological development,'' concluded JGL's Ivo Usmiani.

KBC Rijeka - The construction of a new hospital for mothers and childern in Susak

The group of HBOR representatives also visited the Rijeka Clinical Hospital Centre and the construction of the new hospital in Susak, for which HBOR, in cooperation with the CEB and the EIB, approved a loan in the total amount of 750 million kuna.

At the Susak site of KBC Rijeka, work on the construction of a new Rijeka Hospital for mothers and children is in full swing, having started back in September 2019. The new complex will combine all hospital facilities currently located at Kantrida with the Clinic for Gynaecology and Obstetrics and new laboratory facilities.

This project is a significant step forward in relocating hospital units to a unique location, and patients will no longer have to travel up to five kilometres between different hospital facilities of the Rijeka Clinical Hospital.

“The construction of a new hospital in Rijeka is the largest investment from the government in the healthcare system since the founding of the Croatian state. Regardless of all of the difficulties, the works are being implemented more quickly than was initially planned, and the completion of the works is expected in the first half of 2022. If we receive the support of the government as we have done before, we'll be ready for the next investments in the second half of 2022,'' said Zeljko Plazonic, MD, of KBC Rijeka.

"The investment of KBC Rijeka in the construction of a new hospital in Susak will directly affect 600 thousand citizens who gravitate to the Rijeka hospital and hundreds of thousands of others who spend their holidays in this area. That's why I'm extremely glad to have the opportunity to participate in the improvement of healthcare infrastructure that will provide patients, medical and university staff of the Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka with greater comfort, an increased quality of services and numerous technological and clinical improvements,'' stated Hrvoje Cuvalo of HBOR.

"With the completion of the new hospital project, KBC Rijeka will receive a quality, modern and efficient healthcare service to be able to offer to the residents of the three counties who use the services of the Rijeka hospital," added prof. dr. sc. Alen Ruzic, the director of KBC Rijeka.

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ZAGREB, 15 March 2021 - The Rijeka Clinical Hospital Centre on Monday received 12 new ventilators that were procured by the Health Ministry with the use of EU funds.

The hospital's director, Alen Ružić, thanked the ministry, government and European Commission for the valuable equipment, underscoring that it would significantly improve working conditions at the hospital and contribute to better patient care as well as improving the quality of treatment.

The ventilators will be put to use immediately in various wards at the hospital but primarily to relieve the work of the respiratory centre with COVID-19 patients, in ICU, and at neurology and pediatric wards. The hospital now has about 60 ventilators which are sufficient to cover the current number of patients.

Health Ministry State-Secretary Željko Plazonić, who chairs the KBC Rijeka steering board, said the ventilators were obtained through a procurement process conducted by the European Commission. They are part of a contingent of 169 ventilators procured for COVID-19 wards in health institutions throughout Croatia. The price of each ventilator is €24,000, Plazonić added.

Answering reporters' questions, Ružić said that due to the new wave of COVID-19 the hospital's level of preparedness had been increased and if need be it would be prepared to open a new COVID ward that would be separated from other wards. He added that due to the increased number of COVID-19 patients, the number of other non-urgent surgical procedures would be partially reduced.

Dinko Štimac M.D., the head of the Neurosurgery Department at the Clinical Hospital Center in Rijeka (KBC), is blazing a trail in Croatian medicine.