Stories & Trends in Respiratory Nasal Sampling

Stockpiled specimen collection supplies can quickly turn into sunk costs instead of ready-to-use response assets when usable inventory expires before the next URI surge hits. Discover why medical device shelf-life is the real measure of readiness for labs seeking smarter outbreak preparedness strategies.

MicroWash was featured in the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s UNMC Connect magazine, highlighting innovations that have made the institution a vital player in health education, research and patient care. The publication touted the evolved nasal lavage device’s comfort, consistency and simplicity as a transformative tool in URI diagnostics.

Dr. Wadman broke down why healthcare leaders should start placing greater emphasis on nasal sample sensitivity in MedCity News. He highlighted the anatomical differences between nasal swabs and evolved nasal lavage methods like MicroWash, explaining the downstream benefits of more representative samples across the respiratory care continuum.

Chief Technology Officer Dr. Nguyen, one of Nebraska’s leading medical device innovators, reflects on his entrepreneurial mission to decentralize medicine and put patient needs first as part of Silicon Prairie News’ “Prairie Portraits” series.

Dr. Thanh Nguyen, the lead designer and developer behind MicroWash, authored an op-ed for Innovation & Tech Today exploring how his nearly two decades of emergency medicine experience continually inform his patient-first approach to medical device invention.

Leading national media outlets recently tapped infectious disease expert Dr. Michael Wadman for hantavirus outbreak updates. The MicroWash CMO, who also serves as Medical Director of the National Quarantine Unit, shared insights on the facility's timely containment response.

When teams overlook the realities of real-world care in their medical device design process, inconsistency and risk follow. Explore how human factors engineering (HFE) and patient and clinician input help close these gaps early in development, translating clinical complexities into context-aware solutions equipped for stronger adoption.

In an article for Lab Manager, Dr. Nicholas Lorenzo shares how shelf-life constraints are shaping laboratory inventory planning and broader diagnostic readiness. He offers insight into how longer-lasting, higher-sensitivity collection methods like MicroWash can support more strategic preparedness as seasonal surge timelines shift.

Six years after the pandemic’s peak, healthcare leaders are still unpacking lessons learned from COVID. Explore the diagnostic challenges revealed — including inconsistent specimen collection, false negatives and testing avoidance — and how improved sampling methods can strengthen future outbreak response.

Early diagnostic clarity determines whether therapeutic intervention can begin in time to improve URI outcomes. Explores how infection progression impacts diagnoses, why nasal swabs fall short and how high-sensitivity nasal lavage paired with PCR supports stronger respiratory care decisions.