A REBOA Complication: EtCO2 Is Not Just a Marker of Cardiac Output

Abstract

We describe an as yet undescribed complication, namely, the perforation of the balloon at a distance from its introduction and the use of EtCO₂ to suspect the diagnosis. Following a high-kinetic motorcycle accident, a 25-year-old patient was admitted in our level 1 trauma center, and benefited from a resuscitation thoracotomy followed by a REBOA catheter in zone 3. The use of a small caliber introducer could be responsible for balloon injury. EtCO₂ is not only a marker of cardiac output and its sudden increase in this situation should raise questions about the recirculation of ischemia product and therefore the effectiveness of the occlusion balloon.