A research team at the University of Washington has developed a wearable device to detect and reverse an opioid overdose. The device, worn on the stomach like an insulin pump, detects when a person stops breathing and moving, and injects naloxone. A life-saving antidote that can restore breathing.
The device, which is worn on the stomach like an insulin pump
Results demonstrate proof of concept for a portable naloxone injector system, according to an article published Nov. 22 in Scientific Reports.
“The opioid epidemic has worsened during the pandemic and has remained a major public health crisis. We have created algorithms that run on a portable injector to detect when the user stops breathing and automatically inject naloxone. “
Justin Chan, lead author, doctoral student at the University of Washington, Paul G. Allen School of Engineering and Computer Science
One of the unique aspects of opioid overdose is that naloxone
Co-author Jacob Sunshine, associate professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He said that one of the unique aspects of opioid overdoses is the naloxone. A benign drug, it is very effective and can save lives if it can be administered in a timely manner.
The University of Washington team is looking to make these devices widely available. Which would first require approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA is currently working to accelerate efforts to address this critical public health problem. And recently published a special guide on emergency use injectors.
The research team combined this injector system with sensors
In a multi-year collaboration, researchers from the University of Washington worked on the prototype with West Pharmaceutical Services of Exton, Penn. Which developed a portable subcutaneous injector that delivers medications safely.
The research team combined this injector system with sensors and developed an algorithm. This is to detect the life-threatening breathing pattern that occurs when people experience opioid toxicity.
Co-author Shyam Gollakota, a University of Washington professor at the Allen School. He said the device could help people at different stages of opioid use disorder avoid accidental death.
“This portable autoinjector may have the potential to reduce opioid overdose deaths,” he said. “We are hopeful that it can have a tangible impact on a great source of suffering in this country.”
The portable system has received regulatory approval in the United States
The pilot device includes a pair of accelerometers that measure respiration and an on-board processor that detects the interruption of movement associated with respiration. The portable system, which has received regulatory approval in the United States, activates the injector in the presence of prolonged apneic episodes.
The pilot device can also transmit data on respiratory rate and apneic movement to a nearby smartphone via Bluetooth.
To test the device, a clinical study was conducted with volunteers at a supervised injection facility in Vancouver, BC, and a parallel clinical trial was conducted in a hospital setting among volunteers who manifested signs of apnea while holding their breath.
The deployment of the injection facility was crucial, the researchers said, in helping to develop breathing algorithms that involve opioid-induced respiratory changes in the real world.
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