Detection of SARS-CoV-2 by bronchoscopy after negative nasopharyngeal testing: Stay vigilant for COVID-19.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is required for diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Sensitivity of RT-PCR nasopharyngeal (NP) testing is presumed to be high, but there is no gold standard against which this has been determined. The objective was to determine whether lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), occurs in the absence of upper respiratory tract infection with clinical testing of both specimen types.

Methods

Between March 26, 2020 and April 17, 2020 at the University of Washington Medical Center all patients with BALF specimens clinically tested for SARS-CoV-2 were identified. We assessed the proportion of patie

SUBMITTER: Ramos KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7298516 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature