Cororonavirus: Swab breaks off into woman's lung

It shows ‘potential dangers of taking mucosal swab from trachesotomy site’, report says

A swab has fallen off into a woman’s lung during a test (Getty Images)

A coronavirus swab has broken off into a woman’s lung at a hospital.

It was found in one of the 51-year-old patient’s lobar bronchi during a test for Covid-19 at a trust in Leicester.

She had a tracheostomy – an opening made at the front of the neck – following a medical procedure.

Part of the swab stylet broke off and fell through the trachesostomy site, the report, which has been published in the BMJ medical journal, said.

It has since been removed from the woman’s body. 

“The above case highlights the potential dangers of taking a mucosal swab from a trachesotomy site,” the report’s authors said.

“Hightened concerns around SARS-CoV-2 and wearing full personal protective equipment increase the probability of human error occurring.”

They added: “There is a need for clear guidance on how to test patients with front of neck airways for SARS-CoV-2.”

The patient was being treated at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust after having neurosurgery, and had a coronavirus test before being discharged to a nursing home as part of ordinary procedure. 

Hospital staff tried to take a mucosal swab through the trachesotomy tube.

A nurse thought she felt part of the swab snap and fall into the woman’s trachea, and the patient became “momentarily unsettled”, leading staff to investigate, according to the report. 

The swab was identified in a right lobar bronchus and removed with a flexible bronchoscopy.

A trust spokesman told the BBC it had implemented "additional safety measures" and shared "learning" with staff in light of the incident.