The use of nasopharyngeal (NP) swab sampling for the detection of various respiratory pathogens has been a standard procedure in medicine for many years. While this is a fairly common procedure, there has been a significant increase in utilization recently due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We describe a case of a 40-year-old SARS-CoV-2 positive patient with no prior cardiac history who developed asystole while an NP swab was being used to obtain a sample for a SARS-CoV-2 assay. Return of normal sinus rhythm was achieved with chest compressions alone. The incident was deemed to have been an exaggerated vagal response to intranasal stimulation; better known as the trigeminocardiac reflex. This is the first reported case describing asystole during use of an NP swab. This case occurred in a patient with no known cardiac disease and highlights the potential importance of the arrhythmogenic nature of COVID-19 that could potentiate the vagal response in susceptible individuals undergoing NP sampling.
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, COVID 19, Nasopharyngeal swab, Arrhythmias, asystole, trigeminocardiac reflex, vagal response, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, pandemic, nasopharyngeal, Chest, Patient, Swab, NP swab, cardiac disease, intranasal, significant increase, respiratory pathogen, return, positive, while, highlight, occurred, reported, susceptible individual, the SARS-CoV-2, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19,