3 de November, 2020

Saliva PCR tests now available at Clínica Rotger and Quirónsalud Palmaplanas Hospital

This new technique has the same specificity as the conventional PCR test and has the advantage that the sample collection is performed without introduction of the swab via the nasopharyngeal route. 

The emergency services of Clínica Rotger and Quirónsalud Palmaplanas Hospital are already available to carry out the test. In addition, the test can also be requested on an outpatient basis in the laboratories of both centres.

On the same day of the examination the patient receives the results, which are just as reliable as a nasopharyngeal PCR test.

Always at the forefront of the latest innovations, the unified laboratory of Clínica Rotger and Quirónsalud Palmaplanas Hospital integrates the saliva PCR test, the latest advance in the detection of the coronavirus SARS – CoV-2.

Non-invasive sampling

The new test facilitates the collection of samples from the patient, who only has to fill a small tube with his own saliva, thus avoiding the tiresome introduction of the swabs via the nasopharyngeal route. This test is suitable for anyone wishing to opt for this new, less invasive extraction system and is particularly suitable for children or elderly persons.

Requirements for a saliva PCR test

The essential conditions for the saliva PCR test are that you have not eaten, drunk or smoked for at least 30 minutes before the test. In addition, you should not apply make-up, cream or lipstick on the day of the test.

 

PCR-Saliva-Clínica-Rotger-Hospital-Mallorca

 

“The patient only has to fill a small tube with his own saliva and this sample follows a PCR-like procedure with the same efficiency and detectability as the conventional test”.

Similar effectiveness and detection reliability as the conventional PCR test

The saliva PCR test has already been approved by the FDA in the United States and, according to several scientific studies, has similar sensitivity and specificity data as the conventional PCR test. Therefore, in addition to the advantage of a less invasive sample collection, which avoids patient discomfort, it also has the assurance of excellent efficiency in the detection and diagnosis of Covid.

Finally, Clínica Rotger and Quirónsalud Palmaplanas Hospital continue to carry out the usual covid tests, both for patients who request them in the laboratory and for those who need them for diagnosing patients in the emergency room. These include, in particular, the “PCR rapid tests” in the emergency room for paediatric patients, which provide results in a short time, and the conventional PCR tests, which, thanks to the technology and resources available in Quirónsalud hospitals in the Balearic Islands, make it possible to obtain the results on the same day as the test. The antigen detection test also provides an initial result in just a few minutes, with the limitation that it only has ideal sensitivity in symptomatic patients with a maximum seven days development time.