Boy from Saudi Died After a Swab Test Stick Broke Inside his Nose

A child from Saudi has died in Shagra General Hospital after he took a swab test. Unfortunately, the stick for the nasal swab test broke inside the child's nose. According to Sabag news, the little boy was rushed to the hospital because he had a fever and his parents feared that he may have contracted the coronavirus.

A swab test was done to check if he has COVID-19 but the stick broke during the process. The doctors then used general anesthesia to perform a swab extraction from his throat.

Swab accident

After performing a swab extraction from the child's throat, the doctors left the boy without removing the swab that broke inside his nose. The child then fainted because of the obstruction on his respiratory tract. He was declared dead 24 hours after he was rushed to the hospital.

The father of the little boy, Abdullah Al Joufan, talked about the details of the tragic accident. He said that he did not want the doctors to use general anesthesia but the doctors insisted on the method. After the operation, he asked that his son be examined by a specialist but the staff at the hospital said that the specialist was on leave.

According to Joufan, everyone was surprised when his child fainted the next morning. They found out that he lost consciousness due to obstruction of his respiratory tract. He was told that his son's health was deteriorating and that doctors were trying to revive him, but he wanted to transfer his son to another hospital in Riyadh.

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The news site Al Arabiya reported that Joufan's request was approved by the hospital but by the time that the ambulance came, it was too late. The ambulance arrived just after the child was declared dead.

Joufan said that he had submitted two reports regarding the mishandling of the whole situation and the negligence that killed his child. He requested the Minister of Health to investigate the incident.

The father of the child also said that he got a phone call from the Director of Health Affairs in Riyadh Hassan Al Shahrani, and promised that he will investigate the case himself, as reported by Gulf News.

A nasal swab is used to diagnose respiratory tract infections such as COVID-19. It is a quick test and it feels uncomfortable since it will go through your nose but it is not painful. There are instances wherein a suction device is used to gently remove the secretions, which is called a nasal aspiration.

The secretions are then sent to a laboratory where they are examined and grown. That is when viruses, fungi, or bacteria are present.

How are swab tests done?

According to Health Navigator, a small, soft-tipped swab will be slowly inserted into your nostril. The swab will be twirled a few times until it is covered in secretions. For COVID-19 testing, only a single swab is done.

Although a nose swab is the most common one done for COVID-19, throat swabs are also sometimes performed. As for the nasal aspiration method, a small tube is inserted into the nostril. The tube is then connected to a suction device, which gently removes secretions from your nose.