Shielded Swab: A New Swab Technique Avoiding Contamination in Endoscopically Guided Middle Meatal Culture

Lim, Jong Beom; Jeon, Sea Yuong; Kim, Jin Pyeong; Ahn, Seong Ki; Park, Jeong Jae; Song, Min Sung; Ahn, Seong Yong; Son, Hee Young

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Endoscopically guided middle meatal culture is recommended to determine organ-specific antibiotic therapy in sinusitis. This study was designed to decrease the chance of contamination in endoscopically guided middle meatal swab through a shielded pathway using a sterile straw to bypass the contaminated area in the nose from the vestibule to the middle meatus.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
Seventeen healthy volunteers underwent endoscopically guided middle meatal culture. With or without the sterilization of the nasal vestibule, endoscopically guided middle meatal culture was performed by using a sterile cotton swab (routine swab) and using a sterile cotton swab through a sterile straw (shielded swab). We compared the contamination rates between the routine swab versus shielded swab.
RESULTS
With and without the sterilization of the nasal vestibule, the contamination rates of the routine swab was 11.7% and 64.7%, respectively and the contamination rates of the shielded swab was 5.8% in both.
CONCLUSION
In endoscopically guided middle meatal culture, the contamination rates was significantly decreased by using the shielded swab without sterilization of the nasal vestibule. This study suggests that the shielded swab is a new and reliable swab method that can be used easily and simply at the office.