The role of bronchoalveolar lavage in the diagnosis of suspected covid-19 pneumonia after multiple negative nasopharyngeal swabs

Abstract EN

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), became a huge risk to public health.

The gold standard to diagnose COVID-19 is by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Nevertheless, false-negative RT-PCR results have been reported in many studies.

Here we present a case of suspected COVID-19 pneumonia in a patient who received three negative RT-PCR results from nasopharyngeal swabs result who was subsequently diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia by RT PCR from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) collected by performing a bronchoscopy procedure.

Our findings remind healthcare providers that having negative nasopharyngeal swab RT-PCR tests should not exclude the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia.

The clinical suspicion, history, laboratory results and radiological imaging play an important role in diagnosing COVID-19 pneumonia.

Performing bronchoscopy to collect lower respiratory tract sample (BAL) for suspected COVID-19 pneumonia can be considered in specific situations.