This noninvasive procedure is readily available.
The Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) has become a valuable study for determining presence of intra-abdominal hemorrhage and need for surgical intervention in trauma patients. These authors evaluated the clinical value of transthoracic Focused Rapid Echocardiographic Examination (FREE) for assessing fluid volume and cardiac function in trauma patients. The FREE consists of three views: parasternal, to visualize mitral and aortic valves and left ventricular (LV) function; apical, to assess right ventricular and LV function; and subxiphoid, to assess pericardial effusion and inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and collapsibility in M-mode.
During 9 months at a single level I trauma center, 53 patients (mean age, 62; 62% men) u…