AFAST: Understanding and performing the test

The AFAST exam – abdominal focused assessment with sonography for trauma – can be used to screen for obvious soft tissue abnormalities that may be missed by other tests. In this presentation, learn about the test’s target-organ approach and its five views. Come away knowing how to perform the exam and its benefits over other tests, including physical exam, blood and urine testing, and radiography. This course originally was presented at the AVMA’s 2020 Virtual Convention under the title “AFAST: Introduction and its target-organ approach”.

Participants can expect to learn about:

  • Five views of the AFAST exam and its target-organ approach 
  • How to use AFAST to screen for soft tissue abnormality 
  • Benefits of AFAST exam over other tests


Dr. Gregory R. Lisciandro earned his DVM from Cornell University and has practiced veterinary medicine as both a general practitioner and in emergency and critical care. He developed AFAST, an abdominal FAST ultrasound exam, TFAST, a thoracic FAST ultrasound exam, and most recently Vet BLUE, a brief lung ultrasound exam. Previously, he served as chief of emergency medicine and critical care at Emergency Pet Center in San Antonio. He is an American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC) at-large regent and has served on ACVECC’s education guidelines and scientific committees. He has authored over 17 clinical peer-reviewed studies involving uses of FAST and point-of-care ultrasound, and lectures nationally and internationally on the topics. He also is editor and chapter author of Focused Ultrasound Techniques for the Small Animal Practitioner (Wiley, 2014), chapter author in the textbook Critical Care Ultrasound (Elsevier, 2014), and several other veterinary textbooks. He is a consultant for Hill Country Veterinary Specialists, president of the International Veterinary Point-of-care Ultrasound Society, and CEO of FASTVet.com.