This article is sponsored content brought to you by DLC.
The New Image of Health
Small Animal FAST Protocols.
FAST ultrasound protocols have gained favour in veterinary medicine for quick assessments of small animal trauma patients. POCUS exams utilise the same anatomical locations in non-emergency settings.
A FAST ultrasound examination of the thorax and abdomen of a patient allows a clinician to quickly determine if surgery is warranted, and to prioritise patient needs in real time while simultaneously establishing a clinical baseline. Based on initial information gathered, serial, periodic revaluations of the patient continue to provide clues to the status and prognosis of the patient.
POCUS scans in conjunction with routine physical examinations are becoming more common in the veterinary profession. Small animal FAST protocols are now built into the Butterfly iQ+ Vet and can be accessed in the Abdomen, Abdomen Deep, Cardiac, Cardiac Harmonics, Cardiac Deep, Cardiac Deep Harmonics, and Lung presets. When selected from the Action menu, embedded patient map sites encourage a thorough and systematic approach to thoracic and abdominal FAST scans allowing for seamless image capture and sharing. After image or cine capture, the view picker screen will automatically return. A checkmark indicates that the view has already been captured and allows the user to select the next site. A full review of images collected will ensure a complete study has been performed.
To use the Abdominal FAST Scan Protocol:
1. Begin with Abdomen/Abdomen Deep preset
2. Select Actions
3. Select Abdominal FAST Protocol
4. Evaluate and prepare patient in right lateral recumbency
5. Begin scan at diaphragmatico-hepatic (DH) site, collecting representative images
6. Scan through to splenorenal (SR) site, collecting representative images
7. Scan through to cecocolic (CC) site,
collecting representative images
8. Scan through to hepatorenal (HR) site, collecting representative images
9. Exit protocol when study is complete
To use the Thoracic FAST Scan Protocol:
1. Begin with Abdomen, Cardiac, or Lung presets depending on nature of the study
2. Select Actions
3. Select Thoracic FAST Protocol
4. Evaluate and prepare patient
5. Right lateral preferable if patient is stable in this position, label images accordingly
6. Begin scan at chest tube site (CTS) and scan left to right at that site, collecting representative images
7. Fan and scan lung field until encountering pericardial site (PCS), collecting representative images
8. Gain general impression of the heart size, chamber size, heart rate, contractility, and any gross abnormalities (i.e. pericardial effusion)
9. Move to diaphragmatico-hepatic (DH) site to evaluate and collect images
10. If and when the patient is stable, FAST evaluation of the contralateral side is most complete, label images accordingly
11. Exit protocol when study is complete
FAST scan protocols are available on the iQ+ Vet in the Abdomen, Abdomen Deep, Cardiac, Cardiac Harmonics, Cardiac Deep, Cardiac Deep Harmonics, and Lung presets.
For more information on the Butterfly IQ+ Vet Ultrasound please contact our friendly staff at DLC Vet Pty Ltd on 1300 785 405 or at [email protected].
