Focused abdominal ultrasound for trauma in patients with blunt abdominal trauma

The objective of research was to verify the efficacy of focused assessment sonography of trauma (FAST) in patients with blunt abdominal trauma. Three hundred and five patients were selected with diagnosis of blunt abdominal trauma that assisted to the Surgery emergency at Hospital Central "Dr. Urquinaona", Maracaibo, Zulia State. Patients characteristic, sonography findings of focused assessment, pathological findings of surgery and diagnostic accuracy were evaluated. Mean age of patients was 32.5 +/- 7.6 years old. Seventy five percent of patients were male. Of 305 ultrasound evaluations, 160 were positive (52.5%), finding alterations and / or presence of free fluid in 114 patients (71.3%) in Morrison's space and in 48 patients (30.0%) in pre-renal space. Of 160 patients with positive results at evaluation, 147 (91.8%) presented lesions. Diagnostic accuracy of focused assessment sonography of trauma was: sensibility 98.6%, specificity 53.7%, positive predictive value 91.8% and negative predictive value 88.2%. Diagnostic accuracy of focused assessment sonography of trauma in this group of patients was 83.6%. It is concluded that focused assessment sonography of trauma (FAST) is a helpful diagnostic tool in patients with diagnosis of blunt abdominal trauma.