PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Mohammed Hassan Hussain AU - Saad Siddiqui AU - Sara Mahmood AU - Theodoros Valsamakis TI - Tracheal swab from front of neck airway for SARS-CoV-2; a bronchial foreign body AID - 10.1136/bcr-2020-237787 DP - 2020 Aug 01 TA - BMJ Case Reports PG - e237787 VI - 13 IP - 8 4099 - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/13/8/e237787.short 4100 - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/13/8/e237787.full SO - BMJ Case Reports2020 Aug 01; 13 AB - We report the case of a bronchial foreign body, following a tracheostomy site swab for SARS-CoV-2, aiming to raise awareness and vigilance. A qualified nurse was performing a routine SARS-CoV-2 swab on a 51-year-old woman, fitted with a tracheostomy in the recent past following a craniotomy. This was part of the discharging protocol to a nursing home. During the sampling, part of the swab stylet snapped and was inadvertently dropped through the tracheostomy site. Initial CT imaging was reported as showing no signs of a foreign body but some inflammatory changes. Bedside flexible endoscopy through the tracheostomy site revealed the swab in a right lobar bronchus. This was subsequently removed by flexible bronchoscopy. This case highlights the need for clear guidance on how samples for SARS-CoV-2 are taken from patients with front of neck airways (laryngectomy/tracheοstomy) and the potential pitfalls involved.