Comparison of the focused assessment with sonography for trauma protocol and animal trauma triage scoring system in traumatized dogs

FAST (focused assessment with sonography for trauma) is an ultrasound protocol developed to assess conditions such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, hemoabdomen, bladder rupture, and organ damage due to trauma. It is performed at the time of presentation of a trauma patient for rapid diagnosis. The aim of this study is to compare the results of FAST and ATT (Animal Trauma Triage) scoring system, which are among the first triage examinations, and to determine whether they support each other. Material of the study consisted of 50 dogs (different breed, sex and age) presented in years between 2019-2020 to Selcuk University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Surgery Clinics with trauma history within 24 h. FAST and ATT scoring system were performed for each dog. ATT score of 50 traumatized dogs was evaluated by dividing into 3 categories; ATT scores of 21 dogs were good (0-5), 19 dogs were moderate (6-11), and 10 dogs were poor (12-18). Thoracic and abdominal abnormal findings were detected by T-FAST in 12 dogs (24%) and by A-FAST in 10 dogs (20%). Spearman correlation analysis showed there was no significant association between ATT score and A-FAST (r=0.04, P=0.75), and ATT score and T-FAST (r=0.140, P=0.33) in traumatized dogs. In conclusion, FAST should be performed for urgent diagnosis of possible thoracic or abdominal pathological findings in traumatized dogs, regardless of ATT score.