PIONEERS IN THE INDUSTRY
FASTVetTM Is The Leader In Veterinary Point-Of-Care Ultrasound Education
OUR MISSION
Global FAST®: Revolutionizing the Veterinary Ultrasound Exam
Global FAST®combines the use of AFAST®, TFAST®, and Vet BLUE®into a single systematic and standardized veterinary point-of-care ultrasound examination. Since 2005, FASTVetTM has led the way in demonstrating Global FAST®’s clinical use as “an extension of the physical exam.” This includes being the first to promote proactive thoracic ultrasound imaging, including heart (TFAST®) and lung (Vet BLUE®).
Our Global FAST®examination is described in our textbook, Point-of-Care Ultrasound Techniques for the Small Animal Practitioner. It can also be found in:
- Ettinger’s Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Ettinger et al.)
- Small Animal Diagnostic Ultrasound, 4th Edition (Mattoon et al.)
- Cote’s Clinical Veterinary Advisor: Dogs and Cats (Cohn & Cote)
- Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice
History of Veterinary FAST
Trauma surgeons developed FAST, or Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma, in the 1990s as a first-line triage imaging test. In veterinary medicine, our FASTVetTM original formats, AFAST®and TFAST®(2005), quickly evolved to include non-trauma (triage) and monitoring (tracking). In 2010, we developed Vet BLUE®for lung ultrasound. Global FAST®, which combines all three original formats, is an extension of the physical exam.
Our formats represented a huge paradigm shift for applying veterinary ultrasound as an imaging modality, making FASTVetTM the pioneer in developing veterinary point-of-care ultrasound methodology. Since 2005, we have continued to lead in the development, clinical research, and validation of our Global FAST®approach.
POINT-OF-CARE ULTRASOUND
Three Convenient Ways to Learn
Our FASTVetTM mission is to make Global FAST®ultrasound a core skill for all practicing veterinarians worldwide. To support this mission, we offer three convenient ways to learn our veterinary point-of-care ultrasound formats (AFAST®., TFAST®, and Vet BLUE®) and their practical clinical applications.
Premium Member
For just $99 per year, the premium membership supports continued advancement of ultrasound and clinical skills by providing access to live and recorded Webinars, emergency and critical care blogs, our AFAST®, TFAST®, and Vet BLUE®video libraries, and access to members-only interactive groups. Additionally, members get discounted pricing on our RACE-approved online courses.
CE Courses
Learn the fundamentals of AFAST®, TFAST®, Vet BLUE®, and Global FAST®at your own pace from the comfort of your computer. Our Global FAST®online curriculum breaks each multi-hour course into 1-hour modules with quizzes to ensure learning before advancement. Our Global FAST®online courses are available to FASTVetTM Premium Members and non-members.
Nothing compares to hands-on ultrasound training. We offer two options for in-person training. You can enroll in Global FAST®courses at our FASTVetTM Training Academy in beautiful Austin, Texas, or our team can travel to your practice. Both options currently constitute 9 hours of RACE-approved Veterinary Continuing Education. The Global FAST®Ultrasound Curriculum may be found here.
Meet the Team Behind FASTVet.com
Dr. Gregory R. Lisciandro
Dr. Gregory Lisciandro has spent approximately half his 30-year career in general practice and half in emergency and critical care. He was first introduced to abdominal ultrasound in 1999 when he took a course on the “Big 5.” At the time, he declared himself a course failure and never believed he had become proficient enough to use ultrasound in a busy, daytime general practice. Still, during his emergency and critical care residency training in 2005, he pursued FAST ultrasound as his clinical research requirement. Shortly after, he developed AFAST®and its fluid scoring system and TFAST®and its use for pleural and pericardial effusion, a pneumothorax, and fundamental echocardiography. In 2010, he revolutionized proactive lung ultrasound by creating Vet BLUE®..
Dr. Lisciandro has lectured and trained veterinarians throughout the USA and internationally in Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America, and the Middle East. He has been an annual guest lecturer at the TRISAT Critical Care Webcast Series, presenting his formats and approach to point-of-care ultrasound to medical doctors and Level I Trauma Centers throughout Texas. He has also played an integral role in collaborative research with veterinary schools and private practices. As President of the International Veterinary Point-of-Care Ultrasound Society (IVPOCUS), Dr. Lisciandro continues to lead veterinary medicine in this exciting new frontier with over 20 peer-reviewed clinical research journal publications. Most recently, Dr. Lisciandro received the prestigious Bourgelat Award in 2023 from the British Small Animal Veterinary Association for outstanding international contributions to small animal veterinary medicine.
“I took an introductory abdominal ultrasound course in 1999, which was overwhelming. I never felt that ultrasound would ever become a core skill for me. However, the FAST exam seemed clinically helpful, and the original study limited the application to 4 views. I thought, ‘Heck, I can learn four views!’ Then came the daunting epiphany of realizing what I missed every day without ultrasound!”
Dr. Stephanie Lisciandro attended the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University, completed a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery at The Animal Medical Center, New York City, and then spent a year in general practice in Roswell, Georgia, before performing residency training in internal medicine at The Animal Medical Center, New York City. She is a boarded Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine). She has been performing ultrasounds since her residency at the AMC in 1994.
Stephanie’s interests have included ultrasound, endocrinology and gastroenterology, and she has spent time as a veterinary internist in specialty practices, mobile ultrasound and specialty consulting, and telemedicine. Dr. Lisciandro is the co-owner of Hill Country Veterinary Specialists and FASTVet.com.
Dr. Stephanie Lisciandro
“I have been doing complete diagnostic abdominal ultrasound, detailed echocardiography, and ultrasound-guided procedures since my residency training over 25 years ago. However, I was reluctant to embrace this new FAST ultrasound frontier when Greg began learning FAST. It took me no time to see its (Global FAST®) importance in my daily practice, helping better ensure that my ultrasound exams were ordered for the correct cavity and to make sure the restraint was safe for my patient. Furthermore, I realized how incredibly impactful Vet BLUE®was for detecting questionable or occult pathology radiographically. I trained my referral hospitals to do Global FAST®, and I became exponentially busier. It’s truly a game-changer for improving small animal patient care.”