Role of Extended FAST in Assessing Visceral Injuries in Blunt Abdominal Trauma

Abstract

Background: Blunt abdominal trauma (BAT) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Early diagnosis of visceral injuries is essential for timely management. Extended Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (eFAST) is widely used as a rapid bedside diagnostic tool.
Methods: This prospective observational study included 60 patients presenting with blunt abdominal trauma. All patients underwent eFAST examination. Findings were correlated with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) and/or intraoperative findings. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated.
Results:The mean age was 37.22 ± 12.16 years, with male predominance (78.3%). Road traffic accidents were the most common cause (61.7%). eFAST detected free intraperitoneal fluid in 31.7%, pneumothorax in 11.7%, and hemothorax in 6.7%. Sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and overall accuracy were 85.2%, 90.9%, 88.5%, 88.2%, and 88.3%, respectively.
Conclusion: eFAST is a rapid, reliable, and highly specific bedside tool in blunt abdominal trauma. However, due to limitations in detecting certain injuries, it should be supplemented with CT imaging in stable patients.