REBOA (resuscitative endovascular balloon of the aorta) is an intervention used to limit blood leakage in haemorrhage and redirect blood flow towards vital organs to extend survival before surgical treatment. A catheter is used to guide a balloon, which is inflated in the aorta of the heart to slow down bleeding. Determining the anatomical location for balloon inflation is an important step in the process and malposition may result in detrimental consequences for the body. Medical imaging, namely fluoroscopy, is the standard method used to guide the balloon. However, this method is not readily accessible outside of the hospital in emergencies. This project explores the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) to wirelessly localise the balloon from outside the body.

As an initial prototype, a spiral-shaped RFID tag was designed to conform to the cylindrical shape of the catheter. This was fabricated and tested on a tube analogous to a catheter. An RFID reader is used to measure the signal strength via two external antennas. The approximate location of the tag is able to be determined using the programming platform, MATLAB, by processing information provided by the RFID reader.