Delays in Surgical Intervention and Temporary Hemostasis Using Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the aorta (REBOA): Influence of Time to Operating Room on Mortality

Background The optimal candidates for resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) remain unclear. We hypothesized that patients who experience delays in surgical intervention would benefit from REBOA. Methods Using the Japan Trauma Databank (2014–2019), patients transferred to the operating room (OR) within 3 h were identified. Patients treated with REBOA were matched with those without REBOA using propensity scores, and further divided based on the transfer time to OR: ≤ 1 h (early), 1–2 h (delayed), and >2 h (significantly-delayed). Survival to discharge was compared. Results Among 5258 patients, 310 underwent REBOA. In 223 matched pairs, patients treated with REBOA had improved survival (56.5% vs. 31.8%; p < 0.01), although in-hospital mortality was reduced by REBOA only in the delayed and significantly-delayed subgroups (HR = 0.43 [0.28–0.65] and 0.42 [0.25–0.71]). Conclusions REBOA-treated trauma patients who experience delays in surgical intervention (>1 h) have improved survival.