A minimally invasive procedure that inflates a balloon inside the body's largest artery may help improve the grim survival rate for people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Resuscitation Science Symposium 2026. The technique, called Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA), is currently used in trauma centers to control life-threatening internal bleeding, but researchers are now exploring whether it can redirect blood to the heart and brain during resuscitation when standard efforts fail.
The study, conducted by the East Anglian Air Ambulance in England, included 39 adults who had not responded to advanced cardiac life support, including CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), defibrillation, medications and intubation. In 33 of 36 patients where the procedure was attempted, physicians successfully inflated the balloon in the upper aorta, a process that took about seven minutes on average. The median time from cardiac arrest to balloon inflation was 51 minutes, yet researchers observed immediate and substantial improvements in circulation: aortic diastolic blood pressure increased 59%, systolic blood pressure rose 20%, and end-tidal carbon dioxide—a key indicator of effective circulation—increased 50%.
"Taken together, these findings suggest that aortic occlusion was redirecting blood flow towards the heart and brain as intended," said lead author James Price, M.B.B.S., a consultant emergency physician at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and consultant lead for research and development with the East Anglian Air Ambulance. "To still see substantial improvements in blood pressure after such a prolonged period of cardiac arrest is really encouraging."
The implications are significant because survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains stubbornly low, with only about 1 in 10 people surviving. Treatment options have not meaningfully increased in 50 years, according to Price. While the study was not designed to assess long-term outcomes, 8 of the 33 patients with confirmed occlusion regained a sustained return of spontaneous circulation, and 2 survived to hospital discharge with good neurological outcomes. In a subgroup of five patients with witnessed cardiac arrest from ventricular fibrillation who received REBOA earlier—at a median of 44 minutes—four regained spontaneous circulation and two survived with good brain function.
However, the research is preliminary and has limitations. It was a small feasibility study without a control group, and the findings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. "This study is an important first step, but it is not yet proof that REBOA saves lives," Price said. Future research will need larger prospective studies to identify which patients benefit most and whether the procedure can be delivered earlier, potentially by advanced paramedics rather than physicians.
The American Heart Association, which hosted the symposium, emphasizes that addressing cardiac arrest requires a multifaceted approach, including Join the Nation of Lifesavers by learning CPR and understanding the recovery process, as outlined in resources on Recovering from a Cardiac Arrest. The association also provides Updated CPR guidelines tackle choking response, opioid-related emergencies and a revised Chain of Survival for 2025. For more details on the symposium, see About Resuscitation Science Symposium 2026. Financial information for the association is available here.
