Focused assessment with sonography for trauma

Focused assessment with sonography in trauma, a.k.a. FAST
Ultrasound image of a normal spleen that may be seen in part of the eFAST
eMedicine	104363

Focused assessment with sonography in trauma (commonly abbreviated as FAST) is a rapid bedside ultrasound examination performed by surgeons, emergency physicians, and paramedics as a screening test for blood around the heart (pericardial effusion) or abdominal organs (hemoperitoneum) after trauma.^[1][2] There is also the extended FAST (eFAST) which includes some additional ultrasound views to assess for pneumothorax.^[3]

The four classic areas that are examined for free fluid are the perihepatic space (including Morison's pouch or the hepatorenal recess), perisplenic space, pericardium, and the pelvis. With this technique it is possible to identify the presence of intraperitoneal or pericardial free fluid. In the context of traumatic injury, this fluid will usually be due to bleeding.