According to a press release, researchers at the University of Washington have developed a wearable device to detect and reverse opioid overdoses.
The device is worn on the stomach and detects when the individual stops moving and breathing. Naloxone is injected to restore respication.
Justin Chan, a UW doctoral student in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering stated “We have created algorithms that run on a wearable injector to detect when the wearer stops breathing and automatically inject naloxone,”
An accelerometer on the pilot device measures respiration, and an onboard processor senses the halt of motion associated with breathing. The device is also designed to transmit information about breathing rates and apneic motion to a nearby smartphone via Bluetooth.
Supervised Study
Twenty-five individuals who volunteered to participate in the study took part in supervised injection facilities in Vancouver. According to the study’s authors, the sensors were able to detect breathing rates among these individuals as well as non-medical opioid-induced apneas.
The study measured breathing patterns only in order to develop a respiratory algorithm and did not administer naloxone, which was administered only in the second study.
As part of the second study, 20 volunteers who did not take opioids participated in a clinical trial in a hospital environment. In order to simulate an apneic event, the subjects simulated overdose events by breathing normally, then holding their breath for 15 seconds.
Auto injection to reverse opioid overdoses.
Upon detecting that the subject had not moved for at least 15 seconds, the system initiated the injection of naloxone. Researchers drew blood from the individual after activating the device to confirm the system delivered the medication into the circulatory system, which showed its potential to reverse opioid overdoses, according to the study.
A subcutaneous injector that safely administers medication has been developed by West Pharmaceutical Services in Exton, Pennsylvania.
Senior manager of research and technology at West Pharmaceuticals said “We have enjoyed collaborating with the UW research team at bringing together this expertise in cutting-edge biosensing and wearable drug-delivery technologies. We are pleased to have been able to contribute to this project and prototype system that is intent on solving such a significant unmet need.”
The wearable device has been approved for use in the United States, and it has been designed to prevent accidental deaths for individuals at different stages of opioid-use disorder, according to the researchers.
The research team said further studies are needed to assess the comfort and discreteness of the device over longer periods of time, specifically in unsupervised settings. An additional study is also needed to evaluate naloxone injection for individuals who use opioids for nonmedical purposes.
Further studies are needed to evaluate the device’s comfort and discreteness over longer periods, particularly in unsupervised settings. It is also necessary to conduct other studies on naloxone injections for nonmedical opioid users.
Results of the study were published in Scientific Reports.