How to Obtain a Nasopharyngeal Swab Specimen

As a non-invasive operation, nasopharyngeal swab sampling is the first choice for diagnosis, monitoring and differential diagnosis of New Coronavirus pneumonia. Its sampling randomness is high. However, the sampling personnel may have false-negative test results due to the different location, strength and time of scraping samples, which may have an adverse impact on the epidemic prevention and control. During the operation, the patient choked and splashed to produce an aerosol, which is very easy for medical staff to have occupational exposure.

This paper mainly explains in detail the protection of medical staff when collecting nasopharyngeal swabs, the collection, packaging and transportation of nasopharyngeal swabs, as well as the patient’s body position, operation methods, collection parts and precautions during specimen collection.

Effective communication and nurse-patient cooperation help the successful collection of nasopharyngeal swabs.

Before the operation, the degree of cooperation of patients should be effectively evaluated. Inform the patient of the collection purpose and precautions in advance.

Clinicians should be cautious if the patient has recent nasal trauma or surgery, a significant deviation of the nasal septum, or a history of chronic obstructive nasal patency or severe coagulation disease.

Standard protection is the foundation of successful nasopharyngeal swab collection

Operator preparation: first, wear protective clothing, wash hands with soap and water (or alcohol), and wear a pair of non-sterile gloves. Then, according to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, wear an N95 or higher protective mask. Finally, wear a face mask to protect your face and eyes.

Swab Nasal Covid Sampling preparation: operating platform; Sampling materials, including nasopharyngeal test swab, VTM kits, inspection sheet and bar code, transport bag and hand disinfectant, to ensure the sterilization effect and validity period.

Nasal swab specimen collection method.

(1) Wet the flocked swab in normal saline.

(2) Measure the distance from nostril to ear root with a swab and mark with your fingers.

(3) Insert the swab into the nostril in the direction perpendicular to the nose (face) until the finger touches the nose, keep the swab in the nose for 15-30 seconds, and then rotate it gently for 3 times.

(4) Put the swab into the virus delivery medium, break the swab rod and place it completely in the tube.

(5) Tighten the tube cover, mark it, put it into the specimen bag and seal it.

(6) If it is necessary to collect from two nostrils, one swab should be used respectively.

(7) Store at 4 C or on ice (short term storage).

CDC recommends that all patients suspected of infection with COVID-19 use masks.

Ask the patient to take off the mask and wipe the nose with a paper towel to remove excessive secretions from the nasal cavity.

Remove the cotton swab from the package. Tilt the patient’s head back slightly so that the nasal tract is more accessible.

Let the patient close his eyes to reduce the slight discomfort caused by the operation.

Gently insert the swab into the nasopharynx along the nasal septum until resistance is felt.

Tips for nasopharyngeal swab sample collection.

The nasopharynx swab is inserted quickly. Do not hesitate. Some patients are intolerant to the operation of probing the nasopharyngeal swab into the nasal cavity, resulting in tears, foreign body feeling, etc. before the operation, ask the patients to inhale deeply in order to avoid choking and coughing.

When the cotton swab reaches the expected depth, do not continue to go deep, so as not to cause nasal mucosal damage and bleeding. During the stay, use finger strokes with the patient to read the seconds. It can distract attention, eliminate tension and motivate patients to ensure successful collection.

Never allow the patient to fully raise his head and bend the swab, which will lead to incorrect retention position of nasopharyngeal swab head and ultimately affect the accuracy of specimen collection results.

The operator can select the left / right side of the operator according to his left and right hands, and stand on the patient’s head and shoulder for operation. The patient’s head does not need to be biased to the opposite side. It is difficult to control the entry angle of the flocked swab when facing the side head, which may cause mucosal irritation. For patients with excessive tension, the operator can hold the patient’s hand and give comfort.

Quick questions and answers about nasopharyngeal swab sampling

1. Q: can carry out New Coronavirus test specimen collection personnel?

A: Qualified personnel with sampling skills after biosafety training.

2. Q: COVID-19 test specimen preferred?

A: Respiratory specimens.

Specific detection of

3. Q: infection in New Coronavirus includes?

A: Nucleic acid detection (nasal swab and pharyngeal swab); Virus isolation; Antibody detection.

4. Q: What are the key points of nasal swab collection?

A: Nasal swab: when the top of the swab reaches the posterior wall of the nasopharyngeal cavity, rotate it gently for one week.

5. Q: what respirator is used to collect COVID-19 respiratory specimens?

A: Masks N95 and above.

6. Q: how to disinfect hands after collecting samples?

A: After disinfection with disinfectant, take off the outer gloves, disinfect the inner gloves and wear new outer gloves.

7. Q: when taking off personal protective equipment, which of the following operations should be carried out first?

A: Spray disinfectant all over the body.

8. Q: What should we pay attention to when taking off conjoined protective clothing?

A: Ensure the contaminated surface of the conjoined protective clothing in the whole process, do not touch the inner clothing, and take off slowly and gently.

Contact us

Cell medical (Dongguan) Co., Ltd.
E-mail：flockedswabs@gmail.com
No. 98, Wusha street, Chang’an Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China.
Web：www.swabmanufacturer.com