Summary
Prehospital Focused Abdominal Sonography for Trauma (FAST) is a useful and reliable diagnostic tool for detecting abdominal bleeding in patients with a suspected abdominal injury.
A study of 202 patients with suspected abdominal injury found that PFAST was 93% sensitive, 99% specific, and 99% accurate for detecting abdominal bleeding. This compares to 93% sensitivity, 52% specificity, and 57% accuracy for physical examination at the scene. PFAST scanning occurred an average of 35 minutes earlier than ultrasound in the emergency department.
Abdominal bleeding was detected in 14% of patients. Using PFAST led to a change in either prehospital therapy or management in 30% of patients, and a change to admitting hospital in 22%.
