'Tis the season for patients coming in with sore throats, headaches, fever, chills, and muscle pains. You know what that means—the early signs of influenza, strep throat, and other winter illnesses abound and that calls for swab testing. To ensure patient comfort and minimize transmission in the general population, these illnesses require swift clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Every winter, health care providers should prepare for these common illnesses by stocking up on medical swabs and practicing the most efficient testing methods.
Diagnosis
When a patient sees a doctor, they expect to receive the best care possible, from bedside manner to quality medical products to results. By using Puritan medical swabs, you’re using the best products on the market to facilitate giving your patient the care they deserve.
Diagnosing bacterial illnesses has progressed to become more efficient and accurate than ever. Even so, where sample size may be limited, it’s crucial that the healthcare provider is able to collect and preserve the highest quality swab sample for culture, tests, and diagnostics.
In the case of testing for strep throat, it’s also important to use medical products that don’t cause discomfort for the patient. Puritan’s tongue depressor can be used to examine the mouth and throat. After that, a Puritan swab can be brushed over the back of the throat and around the tonsils to collect secretions.
Transport Medium
Optimal specimen collection starts with a superior transport system. To accommodate the collection of specimens from various patient sites, we recommend our Opti-Swab® collection and transport systems.
The liquid amies system guarantees the most efficient absorption and elution of sample, along with safe, reliable preservation. By using this transport medium in combination with our HydraFlock® swabs for collection, you’ll maintain the viability of aerobic, anaerobic, and fastidious bacteria.
Swab Types
When sample size is limited, our products collect and preserve the highest quality swab sample for testing and diagnostics. HydraFlock swabs are composed of multi-length, “split-end” fibers, which are uniquely engineered for a greater surface area, resulting in faster collection, better patient comfort, and increased viability of sample from swab to culture to laboratory. Our flocked swabs, when paired with the liquid amies system, are suitable for use with automation, gram stains, and traditional culture methods.
Offering superior collection and release properties, Opti-Swab is available in three configurations with one standard, one mini-tip, or one ultrafine tip HydraFlock swab for specimen collection.
All of Puritan’s line of medical products are manufactured in the United States, adhere to strict quality control guidelines and are always customizable to customer specifications. Because of this, our customers can feel secure that their laboratories and clinics will never run out of necessary swabbing supplies.
Interested in Opti-Swab samples or have a question about swabbing for strep? We’re here to help. Just give us a call.
Editor's note: This post was originally published March 1, 2016, and was updated February 20, 2020, for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
