The following is a summary of “REBOA in trauma and the risk of venous thromboembolic complications: A matched-cohort study,” published in the JUNE 2023 issue of Surgery by Wu, et al.

Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) has been utilized as a damage control procedure for trauma patients. For a study, researchers sought to investigate whether REBOA was associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolic (VTE) complications.

A retrospective analysis was conducted using the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program (ACS-TQIP) database. Patients who received REBOA within 4 hours of arrival were included in the study, while transfers, deaths within 24 hours, and severe head injuries were excluded. To balance demographic and clinical characteristics between the REBOA and No REBOA groups, propensity score matching (PSM) was performed. Outcome comparisons included body area abbreviated injury scale, injury severity score, pelvis and lower extremity fractures, angiographic intervention, preperitoneal pelvic packing, pharmacological VTE prophylaxis, laparotomy, laparotomy, and specific orthopedic procedures.

After PSM, the study included 339 REBOA patients matched with 663 in the No REBOA group. The analysis showed that patients who received REBOA had a significantly higher likelihood of developing pulmonary embolism (PE) (5.3% vs. 2.7%, P = .037) and VTE (14.7% vs. 10.0%, P = .025).

The risk of complications from PE and VTE was elevated when REBOA was present. To prevent VTE problems, patients who are treated with REBOA should get appropriate thromboprophylaxis.

Source: americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/S0002-9610(22)00775-9/fulltext