FAST Exam Useless in Stable Kids

July 24, 2017

Not so FAST
Does a FAST exam make an impact on care in stable children with blunt trauma?  Nope.  This was a randomized trial of 925 hemodynamically stable children comparing standard trauma workup or standard workup plus FAST.  There was no difference in the proportion obtaining CT, missed intraabdominal injuries, length of stay, or cost.

Spoon Feed
FAST exam didn’t have an impact on the care of stable children with torso trauma.

Another Spoonful
EM Lit of Note has this great quote, “What happens when you routinely do an unnecessary test that rarely changes management? Essentially, nothing.”  Couldn’t have said it better!

Source
Effect of Abdominal Ultrasound on Clinical Care, Outcomes, and Resource Use Among Children With Blunt Torso Trauma: A Randomized Clinical Trial.  JAMA. 2017 Jun 13;317(22):2290-2296. doi: 10.1001/jama.2017.6322.

Peer reviewed by Thomas Davis.