Does the conventional landmark help to place the tip of REBOA catheter in the optimal position? A non-controlled comparison study

Background Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) for patients with traumatic torso hemorrhagic shock is available to keep a minimum level of circulatory status as a bridge to definitive therapy. However, the trajectory for placement of REBOA in the aorta has not yet been clearly defined. Methods We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study in the two tertiary critical care and emergency center from December 2014 to October 2018. A total of 28 patients who underwent focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) were studied via contrast computed tomography (CT), and 27 were analyzed. Results We divided patients into two groups based on our CT findings. The REBOA deflate group included 16 patients, and the inflate group included 11 patients. The median trace value (interquartile range) of the blood vessel center line from the common femoral artery to the tip of REBOA (blood vessel length) and the length of REBOA itself from the common femoral artery to the tip of REBOA (REBOA insertion length) were 56.2 cm (54.5–57.2) and 55.2 cm (54.2–55.6), respectively ( p < 0.0001) for the deflated group, and 51.4 cm (42.1–56.6) and 50.3 cm (42.3–55.0) ( p = 0.594), respectively, for the inflated group. Conclusions If REBOA was deflated, it was placed 1.0 cm longer than the insertion length of REBOA catheter itself, but that was not the case when inflating REBOA. The individual difference was large to the extent that the balloon inflated and the extent to which the balloon was pushed back toward the caudal depending on the degree of blood pressure. Further studies would be needed to validate the study findings.