Nasal Lavage Specimen Collection Device Introduced to Market

University Medical Devices (UMD) has launched its first specimen collection method, MicroWash, a comfortable and highly sensitive nasal lavage specimen collection device that provides patients and clinicians with a less invasive alternative to nasal swabs.

The device is being piloted within select sectors of the healthcare industry to evaluate its integration with existing clinical workflows. The evaluation will help developers refine the device before MicroWash’s broader market release this year.

“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the need for higher-sensitivity test sampling options when it comes to upper respiratory infections and as a group of medical professionals, we knew it would be critical to evolve beyond the swab,” UMD Founder/Chairman/CEO/President Nicholas Lorenzo, M.D., said. “That’s why we created MicroWash. This initial introduction of the device is just our first step in bringing this markedly improved sampling experience to the wider medical community.”

Developed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, MicroWash is a fast, easy-to-use and comfortable nasal sample device that can be used by healthcare professionals with minimal training in diverse clinical settings. It involves washing the nasal passage with sterile saline to collect a sample from the nose. The saline effluent specimen can then be used for diagnostic testing. Both internal and independent academic research supports MicroWash’s superiority, from sample sensitivity to user experience.

“Testing aversion has long been a barrier to effective disease management. We certainly saw that with COVID-19,” Lorenzo stated. “We knew there was an urgent need to design a device that delivers superior sample sensitivity while prioritizing comfort and safety for both patients and providers. Let’s face it, no one enjoys a swab jammed up their nose. With MicroWash, that discomfort is history, and we have a better shot at mitigating future global pandemics.”

In addition to increased comfort and ease of use, the MicroWash:

• Collects a 2 mL sample, with an up to 49% increase in sensitivity compared to nasal swab samples
• Has a long three-year shelf life
• Leverages the same lab processes with fewer extraction errors
• Decreases clinician infection risk and is easily and reliably administered

University Medical Devices developed MicroWash. It strives to provide highly reliable specimen collection systems that improve the patient experience. The company’s leadership includes experts in neurology, emergency medicine, telehealth, urgent care, primary care, healthcare startup entrepreneurship, and healthcare regulation with training at leading U.S. medical institutions. They also have specialized expertise in biocontainment and pandemic medicine with the National Quarantine Unit—the only federally supported program of its kind—and were among the first to oversee isolation care and serial testing for COVID-19 patients returning to the United States at the beginning of the pandemic.