Brain Lining Of Woman With Rare Condition Punctured During Nasal Test, Fluid Leaked From Nose
The patient, believed to be in her 40s reportedly had an undiagnosed rare condition and there is a possibility that the test she received may have been carried out improperly.
In the US, a COVID-19 nasal swab test punctured a woman¡¯s brain lining, causing fluid to leak from her nose and putting her at risk of life-threatening infection, as reported by doctors in a medical journal Thursday.
The patient, believed to be in her 40s reportedly had an undiagnosed rare condition and there is a possibility that the test she received may have been carried out improperly. This was a series of improbable events that means the risk from nasal tests remains very low.
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However Jarrett Walsh, senior author of the paper that appeared in JAMA Otolaryngology¨CHead & Neck Surgery, told AFP that her case should show that healthcare professionals should take care to follow testing protocols closely.
He also said that people with extensive sinus or skull base surgery should consider requesting oral testing if available.
Walsh, who practices at the University of Iowa Hospital, said ¡®the woman had gone for a nasal test ahead of an elective hernia surgery, and afterward noticed clear fluid coming out of one side of her nose¡¯.
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After that she developed headache, vomiting, neck stiffness, and aversion to light, and was transferred to Walsh's care.
"She had been swabbed previously for another procedure, same side, no problems at all. She feels like maybe the second swab was not using the best technique, and that the entry was a little bit high," he reportedly said.
Walsh believes that the symptoms she developed were a result of irritation to the lining of the brain.
If the problem hadn't been treated, ¡®she could have developed a potentially life-threatening brain infection from bacteria that traveled up the nose¡¯. Or, air could have entered the skull and placed excess pressure on the brain.
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Representational Image/Futurity
Reportedly the woman has since recovered.
According to Walsh ¡®though this was likely a very rare occurrence, it was a reminder of the need for high-quality training, given that hundreds of millions more tests will be performed before the pandemic is over¡¯.
Make sure to inform doctors about preexisting conditions or surgeries when you visit the hospital or a testing centre.
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