Shielded Swab: A New Swab Technique Avoiding Contamination in Endoscopically Guided Middle Meatal Culture.
- Author:
Jong Beom LIM
1
;
Sea Yuong JEON
;
Jin Pyeong KIM
;
Seong Ki AHN
;
Jeong Jae PARK
;
Min Sung SONG
;
Seong Yong AHN
;
Hee Young SON
Author Information
1. Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Korea. syjeon@nongae.gsnu.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Middle meatus;
Culture;
Contamination
- MeSH:
Nose;
Sinusitis;
Sterilization
- From:Korean Journal of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
2008;51(6):524-527
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
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.
