The new method will save the lives of victims of accidents with severe internal bleeding more often. It was used for the first time in the world by the air ambulance service for London Air Ambulance, writes BBCNews.
Heavy internal bleeding resulting from trauma is one of the leading causes of death before the victims of accidents are brought to hospital. According to prof. Karim Brohi of Barts Health NHS Trust, nearly 2,5 million people worldwide bleed to death each year before receiving specialist care.
Often there is no way to help people with internal bleeding because it is impossible to stop such bleeding by external pressure. However, there was hope that many seriously injured people would be helped by the use of a balloon catheter. It resembles a catheter that has long been used by interventional cardiologists to open the coronary arteries of the heart muscle. This method, called ballooning, can save lives of people in acute myocardial infarction.
A new technique called Reboa (resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta) is now set to save the lives of accident victims. It involves inserting a catheter with a balloon through a small incision in the groin area into a blood vessel and inserting it into the aorta, the largest human artery. The balloon is then filled with fluid and, when expanded, blocks the blood flow below the site where the vessel has been damaged.
For the first time, Air Ambulance rescuers used this method to rescue a road accident victim with a pelvic injury and severe internal bleeding. They argue that if it hadn’t been for the ballooning, they probably wouldn’t have been able to get him alive to the hospital. A pelvic fracture can damage the vessel and cause severe bleeding. It often occurs as a result of being crushed by heavy objects, falling from a height or being hit by a car.
Surgeon at Saint Mary’s Hospital in London, David Nott, says the Reboa technique is not easy to use and requires appropriate training. (PAP)