Baseline demographic, physiologic and biochemical data in patients with and without a FAST examination in the ED
| Variable* | FAST performed (n=327) | FAST not performed (n=118) | P value† |
| Age (years) | 39 (26–53) | 36 (25–52) | 0.43 |
| ISS | 27 (17–36) | 17.5 (9–29) | <0.001 |
| AIS head | 0 (0–3) | 0 (0–3) | 0.15 |
| AIS chest | 3 (0–3) | 1 (0–3) | <0.001 |
| AIS abdomen | 2 (0–3) | 1 (0–3) | 0.008 |
| AIS extremity | 2 (0–3) | 2 (0–3) | 0.10 |
| Sex (male) | 71.6% | 74.6% | 0.53 |
| Mechanism (blunt) | 75.7% | 43.2% | <0.001 |
| SBP in field (mm Hg) | 84 (71–100.5) | 80 (70–91) | 0.035 |
| SBP in ED (mm Hg) | 80 (70–88.5) | 80 (70–86) | 0.065 |
| Heart rate (beats per minute) | 105 (84–124) | 105 (83–120) | 0.063 |
| INR | 1.3 (1.2–1.5) | 1.2 (1.1–1.5) | 0.079 |
| Base deficit (mEq/L) | 8 (4–12) | 8 (4–12) | 0.041 |
| pH | 7.25 (7.14–7.34) | 7.26 (7.14–7.33) | 0.055 |
| Lactate (mEq/L) | 4.4 (3–6.3) | 5.4 (3–9.4) | 0.09 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 11.4 (10–12.9) | 10.8 (9–12.3) | 0.007 |
| Six-hour RBC requirement (units) | 4 (2–9) | 4.5 (2.5–10) | 0.86 |
| Twenty-four-hour RBC requirement (units) | 6 (3–12) | 5 (3–10) | 0.34 |
*Median values (IQR).
†Wilcoxon rank-sum test or χ2 test.
AIS, abbreviated injury scale; ED, emergency department; FAST, focused assessment with sonography for trauma; INR, international normalized ratio; ISS, Injury Severity Score; RBC, red blood cells; SBP, systolic blood pressure.