SURGERY
Article sponsored by Petcam ®
AFAST for You and Me
3
Since ultrasonography is becoming more accessible to all
veterinary practitioners, learn all about this ultrasonographic
examination protocol for trauma and start saving lives.
By Garret Pachtinger, VMD, DACVECC
Most veterinarians are schooled on ARDS, SIRS and
other common medical acronyms. But are you ready
for FAST 3 ?
FAST, which stands for focused assessment
with sonography for trauma, is a rapid bedside
ultrasonographic examination and screening test for
blood—or other abnormalities—after trauma. More
specifically, there are the abdominal FAST (AFAST),
thoracic FAST (TFAST) and Vet BLUE (bedside lung
ultrasound exam) techniques that have evolved to
the FAST3 techniques—focused assessment with
sonography in triage, tracking and trauma.
vet360
Issue 04 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 10
Why is it important?
Why all the fuss with name changes and the fancy
superscript 3? As clinicians, we can’t just “set it and
forget it” in medicine. We need not only rapid initial
triage and assessment, but also constant reassessment
and tracking of our patients. We understand that the
hypotensive, shocky patient may not have a definitive
haemoabdomen on presentation. Rather it may take
some time after fluid resuscitation for haemorrhage to
present within a body cavity.
Focusing on the AFAST 3 technique, why has this