ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION RT- PCR testing (Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) is most reliable diagnostic procedure for covid 19 screening.In the absence of effective treatments or preventive measures, all attempts to control the pandemic were based on RT-PCR testing of upper respiratory specimens, which is considered the diagnostic gold standard [1]RT-PCR COVID-19 testing is a generally safe and well-tolerated procedure, but numerous complications have been reported during this procedure. Retrospective study of 1524 Patients for RT-PCRMATERIAL AND METHOD testing were carried out from 1st February 2021 to 30th June 2021 and complications of testing were studied. RESULT Most common complication was broken swab in nasal cavity seen in 0.33% individuals. Second most common complication was epistaxis seen in 0.26% individuals.Least common complications were fainting and foreign body in throat seen in 0.13% and 0.07% of individuals respectively. Complications like CSF leak, septal abscess and pharyngeal abscess were not seen. Our study reviewed the complications during COVID 19 RT-PCR testing.CONCLUSION Sufficient anatomical and clinical knowledge of nasopharyngeal anatomical structures are required to lower the incidence of adverse events and also to protect patients from preventable but often underestimated risks
ABSTRACT
Background:Accurate diagnosis and widespread use of diagnostic tests with easy accessis important to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2. A Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has high cost and can be performed in special laboratories. There have been several easy to perform rapid antigen detection tests developed and recommended to use at point of care for timely detection of positive patients and their isolation to limit the spread of infection. The aim of the study was to compare the cost effectiveness and the role of RT-PCR and rapid antigen testing in diagnosing different suspects of COVID-19.Methods:In this cross-sectional study the data of all the suspected cases who underwent COVID-19 testing over a period of seven weeks at divisional level was used for analysis.Results:The widespread use of rapid antigen testing makes it more cost effective in detecting COVID-19 cases than the highly sensitive and specific RT-PCR testing. Conclusions:Rapid antigen tests can be used as a screening testing tool in high-risk groups to identify the infected persons quickly and for preventing the transmission of infection particularly in low resource settings.