Utility of the cardiac component of FAST in blunt trauma.

Background: Focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) is widely used and endorsed by guidelines, but little evidence exists regarding the utility of the cardiac portion in blunt trauma. The traditional FAST includes the routine performance of cardiac sonography, regardless of risk for hemopericardium.

Objective: Our goal was to estimate the prevalence of hemopericardium due to blunt trauma and determine the sensitivity of certain variables for the presence of blunt hemopericardium.

Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of two institutional databases at a large urban Level I trauma center to determine the prevalence of blunt hemopericardium and cardiac rupture and incidental or insignificant effusions. We evaluated the sensitivity of major mechanism of injury, hypotension, and emergent intubation for blunt hemopericardium and cardiac rupture.

Results: Eighteen patients had hemopericardium and cardiac rupture (14 and 4, respectively) out of 29,236 blunt trauma patients in the Trauma Registry over an 8.5-year period. The prevalence was 0.06% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04-0.09%). The prevalence of incidental or insignificant effusions was 0.13% (95% CI 0.09-0.18%). One case of blunt hemopericardium was identified in the emergency ultrasound database out of 777 cardiac ultrasounds over a 3-year period. No patient with blunt hemopericardium or cardiac rupture presented without a major mechanism of injury, hypotension, or emergent intubation.

Conclusions: Blunt hemopericardium is rare. High-acuity variables may help guide the selective use of echocardiography in blunt trauma.