Zone 1, or 3? Approach to zone selection and pitfalls for REBOA placement in trauma.

The use of Balloon Occlusion of the aorta (BAO) in cases of non compressible torso hemorrhage has become more common. While prospective multicenter data is being collected, and case reports are many, there is still significant debate on the ideal place for BAO in critically ill trauma patients. With each application of the technique there are opportunities for lessons learned, and opportunities to inform other users while consensus in the trauma community is obtained.We report on the successful use of BAO for the management of hemorrhagic shock, and discuss several such lessons that may improve outcomes in future patients.