Serial Trauma Abdominal Ultrasound in Children (STAUNCH): A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Trauma Care

Background:

• Ultrasound is valuable in pediatric emergency medicine, offering a radiation-free alternative.
• The serial focused assessment with sonography in trauma (sFAST) examination is explored as an improvement for pediatric trauma evaluation.
• This study investigates the accuracy of sFAST in children with blunt abdominal trauma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the serial focused assessment with sonography in trauma (sFAST) examination.
• To assess the effectiveness of sFAST as an alternative to traditional methods in pediatric blunt abdominal trauma cases.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, retrospective observational study analyzed electronic medical records and trauma registry data.
• Included were pediatric patients (≤18 years) with blunt abdominal trauma, with serial FAST scans between 30 minutes and 24 hours apart.
• Demographic data, patient characteristics, and outcomes were collected from 3 institutions.

Main Results:

• A total of 38 sFAST examinations were performed on eligible pediatric patients between July 2017 and September 2021.
• Six examinations (15.4%) were positive after an initial negative or indeterminate interpretation.
• The overall sensitivity of sFAST was 66.7% and specificity was 93.8%.

Conclusions:

• The pilot study indicates that sFAST can enhance blunt trauma evaluation in children.
• sFAST demonstrated potential to improve sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy in pediatric blunt abdominal trauma.
• Further research is required to establish the optimal utilization of sFAST in this patient population.