Retrospective Analysis of eFAST Exams to Detect COVID-19 in Trauma Patients.

Cohort studyEmergency medicine international· 2026

Retrospective Analysis of eFAST Exams to Detect COVID-19 in Trauma Patients.

Nicholas Gossett, Michelle Thao Nguyen, Roy Almog … John Christian Fox

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Point-of-Care UltrasoundCohort studyDiagnosisQ2IF 1.7

Lung ultrasound has low sensitivity for detecting asymptomatic COVID-19 in trauma patients.

Retrospective Analysis of eFAST Exams to Detect COVID-19 in Trauma Patients.

Nicholas Gossett … John Christian Fox

Emergency medicine international · 2026 · Q2 in Emergency Medicine

Background

This original research study evaluates the utility of pulmonary point-of-care ultrasound (point-of-care ultrasound) within the extended focused assessment with sonography in trauma (eFAST) exam to detect asymptomatic COVID-19 in emergency department trauma patients.

Methods

This retrospective review includes trauma patients aged 18 years or older who underwent eFAST and COVID-19 swab testing at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center, from December 2020 to October 2022.

n = 152 patients

Results

the test missed most true infections, too unreliable to rule out covid

37.5%

Sensitivity

74.3%

Specificity

More results

Of 41 eFAST scans positive for COVID-19 findings, six were confirmed by PCR testing, yielding a positive predictive value of 15.6% (CI: 7.9%-25.6%).

Among the 111 eFAST scans negative for COVID-19, 10 were PCR-positive, giving a negative predictive value of 91.0% (CI: 84.1%-95.6%).

“

Conclusion · 1 of 2

Lung point-of-care ultrasound within the eFAST exam is not a reliable tool for detecting asymptomatic COVID-19 infection in trauma patients due to limited sensitivity and low positive predictive value.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

Standard diagnostic methods, such as PCR testing, and the use of personal protective equipment should remain the primary approach to protect healthcare providers.

Retrospective Analysis of eFAST Exams to Detect COVID-19 in Trauma Patients.

Retrospective Analysis of eFAST Exams to Detect COVID-19 in Trauma Patients.

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