The University of South Florida Health’s Department of Radiology has developed 3D-printed nasal swabs for COVID-19 testing that perform just as well and, in some cases better than, traditional swabs.
The Tampa center first created nasopharyngeal swabs in response to the critical shortage early in the pandemic. Since then, USF Health has printed tens-of-thousands and plans to share the results of its first clinical trial during the Radiological Society of North America’s virtual meeting.
“To date, USF Health has printed more than 100,000 3D NP swabs, and hospitals around the world have used our 3D files to print tens of millions more swabs for point-of-care use,” Summer Decker, PhD, director of 3D Clinical Applications at USF’s College of Medicine, said in a statement.
Infectious disease specialists at both USF and Northwell Health validated the final prototypes before they were compared to traditional flocked swabs. Testing took place across three trial sites—Tampa General Hospital, Northwell Hospital, and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital—and included 291 patients with COVID-19.
“The results were overwhelmingly positive,” Decker said. “The clinical trial showed that the 3D nasal swabs performed as well as—or, in some cases, better than—flocked swabs.”
Tampa General currently prints about 9,000 swabs per week and the process takes up to 15 hours, depending on the printer. USF says it has filed for a provisional patent and publicized design files and clinic data at no cost to hospitals, clinics and medical device companies.
“We wanted to get this swab in as many hands as possible to help slow the spread of the virus,” Decker said. “This is the result of many people working together to make one device to help others.”
The project was developed via collaborations founded in the RSNA 3D Printing Special Interest group.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.