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VOLUME 4 , ISSUE 1 ( January-June, 2021 ) > List of Articles

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Use of a Safe Nasal/Oral Sampling Aid in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

Rahul Goel, Rolli Khurana, Shubham Dubey, Vijay Pal

Keywords : Communicable diseases, Coronavirus disease-2019, Medical device, Sampling

Citation Information : Goel R, Khurana R, Dubey S, Pal V. Use of a Safe Nasal/Oral Sampling Aid in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era. Journal of Medical Academics 2021; 4 (1):16-18.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10070-0069

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 01-12-2021

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2021; The Author(s).


Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) was first detected in Wuhan, China, after which it quickly spread throughout the world despite several precautions. It has been noted that the healthcare workforce is most susceptible to it. Maximum exposure to them was observed at the time of collection of the mucous sample. Similar activities such as nasal/oral endoscopy or biopsies also put the healthcare workers in harm's way. Aims and objectives: A simple device was developed which would allow nasal or oral mucous sampling to be done without the patient having to take off the face mask. This would then be tested in field settings to ensure acceptability, efficacy, and safety to healthcare workers. Materials and methods: A prototype device consisting of four parts was designed. The device can clip onto the surgical mask using the disks. Once the trocar has punctured the mask, the valve can be opened to allow a swab-stick or endoscope of up to 5 mm to be passed through it. This valve creates a tight seal when released and decreases aerosol spread in the instance that the patient coughs or sneezes. Results: One hundred and fifty patients who reported for COVID testing at our hospital and 89 patients who reported for nasal or oral endoscopy were sampled or examined using this device. Minor difficulties of the loose fit of the device on the mask, tight valve, and inability to find nasal opening were noted. Discussion: Our team was able to successfully develop an affordable and effective device—nasal/oral sampling aid (NOSA). Our preliminary trials found it to be dramatically effective for patient and doctor safety. It reduced instances of aerosol dispersion and gave security to the entire sampling process.


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