Table. Treatment and Sequelae of 8 Patients Treated for Complications After SARS-CoV-2 Nasopharyngeal Swab Test.
| Clinical event | Specific occurrence | Measure of occurrence | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predisposing condition | Broken swab (n = 4) | Epistaxis (n = 4) | |||
| Previous rhinosurgery | Septoplasty | 1 | 1 | ||
| Rhinologic disorder | Nasal congestion | 1 | 1 | ||
| Septal deviation | 1 | 1 | |||
| Hematologic disorder | Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura | 0 | 1 | ||
| Cardiovascular disease | Coronary heart disease | 1 | 1 | ||
| Medication | Anticoagulant | 1 | 1 | ||
| Other | Pregnancy | 0 | 1 | ||
| Treatment and sequelae in patients with broken swabs | Patient | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Procedure (local anesthesia) | Removal of the broken swab | 1 | 1 | 0a | 1 |
| Complications | NA | No | No | No | No |
| Diagnostic, treatment, and sequelae in patients with epistaxis | Patient | ||||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||
| Blood loss | Hemoglobin level, g/dL | 6.4 | 6.4 | 9.6 | 10.2 |
| Procedure (local anesthesia) | Anterior nasal packing | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Posterior nasal packing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bipolar coagulation | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Surgical (general anesthesia) | Anterior ethmoidal artery ligation | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Posterior nasal packing | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bipolar coagulation | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Endovascular procedures | Sphenopalatine artery embolization | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Medication | Local hemostatic | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Systemic antibiotics | Yes | Yes | Yes | 0 | |
| Local antibiotics | 0 | Yes | 0 | 0 | |
| Iron supplements (oral or intravenous) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Blood transfusion | Red blood cells, 49 g Hb/unit | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Complication | Local infection | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Systemic infection | No | No | Yesb | No | |
| Septum perforation, scarring | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Abbreviations: Hb, hemoglobin; NA, not applicable.
a
Patient swallowed the broken tip of the swab during the procedure.
b
Staphylococcus aureus sepsis.