Clinical specialtyIn major trauma patients, examination with Hand-Carried Ultrasound (HCU) according to the ‘Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma’ (FAST) principles for the diagnosis of organ lacerations and free intra-abdominal fluid is a reliable and rapid alternative to contrast- enhanced Multidetector CT (MDCT) scans and can help save precious time in emergency situations, and should, additionally, be evaluated in the pre-clinical workflow.