FAST Is Specific but Not Sensitive in Pediatric Blunt Abdominal Trauma

Positive FAST exam predicts injury, but half the patients with injury had negative FAST exams.

In a prospective observational study, investigators assessed test characteristics of the Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) exam for identifying clinically important free fluid in consecutive children (age range, 0–17 years) who presented with blunt abdominal trauma to a level I trauma center in California from 2004 to 2007. Computed tomography (CT) was performed on all patients within 30 minutes of arrival. FAST exams were performed by emergency medicine residents (62%), emergency medicine attending physicians (21%), ultrasound fellows (8%), and surgeons (8%).

Of 357 patients, 23 had clinically important free fluid (defined as at least a moderate amount of free fluid on CT or presence of abdominal injury requiring immediat…

Reviewing Author

Katherine Bakes, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier)

Grant/Research SupportDepartment of Justice

Editorial BoardsEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier); Rosen’s Emergency Medicine (Elsevier)

Katherine Bakes, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier)

Grant/Research SupportDepartment of Justice

Editorial BoardsEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier); Rosen’s Emergency Medicine (Elsevier)