A minimally invasive procedure that inflates a balloon inside the body's largest artery may help improve the low survival rate for people who experience cardiac arrest outside the hospital, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Resuscitation Science Symposium 2026 in Chicago.
The study, led by researchers with the East Anglian Air Ambulance in England, examined whether Resuscitative Endovascular Balloon Occlusion of the Aorta (REBOA) could be deployed quickly and safely at the roadside or in patients' homes. The technique, which passes a small balloon through an artery in the groin and inflates it in the upper aorta, is currently used in trauma centers to control life-threatening internal bleeding. It is not routinely available in emergency medical services in either the United Kingdom or the United States.
The findings matter because survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains roughly 1 in 10, and treatment options have not meaningfully improved in 50 years, according to lead author James Price, a consultant emergency physician at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and consultant lead for research and development with the East Anglian Air Ambulance. During CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), only a fraction of normal blood flow reaches vital organs, and death occurs either because the heart cannot be restarted or the brain is deprived of oxygenated blood.
In the two-year feasibility study of 39 adults, researchers successfully blocked the upper aorta in 33 of 36 patients, with the procedure taking about seven minutes. The lower blood pressure number, particularly important for restarting the heart during CPR, increased 62%, the upper number rose 20%, and carbon dioxide in exhaled breath, a sign of effective circulation, increased 50%. There were no serious adverse effects related to the procedure.
"Taken together, these findings suggest that aortic occlusion was redirecting blood flow towards the heart and brain as intended," Price said. He noted surprise at the size of the physiological response given that the procedure was performed an average of 51 minutes after cardiac arrest.
The study was not designed to assess long-term outcomes, but among 33 patients with confirmed occlusion, eight regained a sustained return of spontaneous circulation and two survived to hospital discharge with good neurological outcomes. In a small subgroup of five patients with witnessed cardiac arrest related to ventricular fibrillation who were treated earlier, four regained circulation and two survived with good brain function.
"This study is an important first step, but it is not yet proof that REBOA saves lives," Price said, adding that larger prospective studies with comparison groups and patient-centered outcomes are needed. Future research should explore delivering the procedure earlier, potentially by training advanced paramedics, he said.
The findings were presented as an abstract and have not been peer-reviewed. The American Heart Association, which receives more than 85% of its revenue from non-corporate sources, makes its overall financial information available here. Multimedia accompanying the research is available at link, with further details in the Link to abstract.
For patients and families, the research offers a cautious signal that a technique already proven in trauma care could eventually extend the window for lifesaving intervention. The association's Recovering from a Cardiac Arrest resources and its call to Join the Nation of Lifesavers by learning CPR remain central to improving outcomes while the science advances. Details on the meeting are available through About Resuscitation Science Symposium 2026.
