REBOA: Expanding Applications From Traumatic Hemorrhage to Obstetrics and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, From the AJR Special Series on Emergency Radiology

Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has emerged over the past decade as a technique to control life-threatening hemorrhage and treat hemorrhagic shock, being increasingly used to treat noncompressible traumatic torso hemorrhage. Reports during this time also support the use of a REBOA device for an expanding range of indications including nontraumatic abdominal hemorrhage, postpartum hemorrhage, placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorder, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The strongest available evidence supports REBOA as a lifesaving adjunct to definitive surgical management in trauma and as a method to help avoid hysterectomy in select patients with postpartum hemorrhage or PAS disorder. In comparison with initial descriptions of complete REBOA inflation, techniques for partial REBOA inflation have been introduced to achieve hemodynamic stability while minimizing adverse events relating to reperfusion injuries. Fluoroscopy-free REBOA has been described in various settings, including trauma, obstetrics, and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. As the use of REBOA expands outside the trauma setting and into nontraumatic abdominal hemorrhage, obstetrics, and CPR, it is imperative for radiologists to become familiar with this technology, its proper placement, and its potential adverse sequelae.