• Peter Hilbert-Carius, Bjarne Schmalbach, Hermann Wrigge, Merve Schmidt, Fikri M Abu-Zidan, Ulf Aschenbrenner, and Fridolin Streibert.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, Bergmannstrost BG Hospital, Merseburgerstr. 165, 06179, Halle (Saale), Germany. peter.hilbert@bergmannstrost.de.
• Intern Emerg Med. 2023 Mar 1; 18 (2): 627637627-637.

AbstractPre-hospital resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) can be a life-saving procedure for patients with non-compressible torso hemorrhage. We aimed to evaluate the potential eligibility for REBOA in trauma patients of a civilian helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) using a stepwise approach. A retrospective analysis using the electronic database (HEMSDER) of "DRF Luftrettung" HEMS covering the period from January 2015 to June 2021 was performed. Trauma patients aged ≥ 16 years and with a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) score of ≥ 4 were assessed for potential REBOA eligibility using two different decision trees based on assumed severe bleeding due to injuries of the abdomen, pelvis, and/or lower extremities and different vital signs on the scene and at hospital handover. Non-parametric statistical methods were used for comparison. A total of 22.426 patients met the inclusion criteria for data analysis. Of these, 0.15-2.24% were possible candidates for pre-hospital REBOA. No significant differences between groups on scene and at hospital handover regarding demographics, assumed injuries, and pre-hospital interventions were found. In the on-scene group, 21.1% of the patients remained unstable even at hospital handover despite pre-hospital care. In the handover group, 42.8% of the patients seemed initially stable but then deteriorated during the pre-hospital course. The number of potential pre-hospital REBOA in severely injured patients with a NACA score of ≥ 4 is < 3% or can be even < 1% if more strict criteria are used. There are some patients who may benefit from pre-hospital REBOA as a life-saving procedure. Further research on earlier diagnosis of life-threatening bleeding and proper indications of REBOA in trauma patients is needed.© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Medicina Interna (SIMI).

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