What is a positive FAST scan?
A positive FAST result is defined as the appearance of a dark (“anechoic”) strip in the dependent areas of the peritoneum. In the right upper quadrant this typically appears in Morison’s Pouch (between the liver and kidney). This location is most useful as it is the place where fluid will collect with a supine patient.
How much fluid can FAST detect?
The volume of free fluid necessary to enable detection with FAST represents a limitation of FAST . Branney and colleagues determined that the mean minimum detectable free-fluid volume during FAST examination in 100 patients undergoing DPL was 619 mL in the Morison pouch (24).
What is seen in FAST scan?
The FAST exam evaluates the pericardium and three potential spaces within the peritoneal cavity for pathologic fluid. The right upper quadrant (RUQ) visualizes the hepatorenal recess, also known as Morrison’s pouch, the right paracolic gutter, the hepato-diaphragmatic area, and the caudal edge of the left liver lobe.
What is a major benefit of FAST or Efast?
The benefits of the FAST examination include the following: Decreases the time to diagnosis for acute abdominal injury in BAT. Helps accurately diagnose hemoperitoneum. Helps assess the degree of hemoperitoneum in BAT.
What is a negative FAST exam?
FAST is useful in patients with blunt or penetrating traumatic injury. Enables trauma bay decision: Stable patient with traumatic mechanism of injury + negative FAST → observation. Stable patient with traumatic mechanism of injury + positive FAST → CT.
What are the limitations of a FAST exam?
The main limitation of the FAST examination is that the operator must be knowledgeable in its clinical use and be aware that it does not exclude all injuries. Limitations to the pericardial assessment for hemopericardium include pericardial fat pads, cysts, and preexisting pericardial fluid.
How many liters of blood can the abdominal cavity hide when internal bleeding occurs?
In selected cases, careful observation may be permissible. The abdominal cavity is highly distensible and may easily hold greater than five liters of blood, or more than the entire circulating blood volume for an average-sized individual.
What is FAST in medicine?
Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) scan is a point-of-care ultrasound examination performed at the time of presentation of a trauma patient.
What is a FAST exam ultrasound?
The focused assessment with sonography for trauma, or FAST, is a limited bedside ultrasound examination that seeks to quickly detect free intraabdominal fluid or cardiac complications. The extended FAST, or E-FAST, expands the examination to assess for pneumothorax.
What is a fast exam?
What is an e-FAST exam?
E-FAST (Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma) is a bedside ultrasonographic protocol designed to detect peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid, pneumothorax, and/or hemothorax in a trauma patient.
When to look for free fluid in the abdomen?
pathophysiology free fluid may be physiological in female patients usually maximal around ovulation. inflammation in the abdomen. intra-abdominal sepsis. hemorrhage in trauma. investigation US abdomen free fluid can be seen at ultrasound. CT abdomen CT is more sensitive for generalised free fluid.
How is fast used to diagnose abdominal trauma?
FAST is useful as the initial diagnostic tool for abdominal trauma to detect intraabdominal fluid. Indications for diagnostic peritoneal lavage are becoming more restricted. In haemodynamically stable patients, the diagnostic modality of choice is CT scanning.
Is the eFAST exam called the fast scan?
It is also commonly referred to as the “ FAST Scan “ However, in 2004, Kirkpatrick et al published a paper in the Journal of Trauma that proposed the current nomenclature and protocol of “eFAST Exam” or Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma.
Where do you find free fluid on ultrasound?
Using the liver as an acoustic window, identify the lung, liver, Morison’s Pouch, diaphragm, and the long-axis of the right kidney. Morison’s Pouch is where you usually identify free fluid in the RUQ view.