To reduce deaths from drug overdose, researchers from the University of Washington have developed a new wearable device that can tell when a person is overdosing from opioids.
as soon as someone shows signs of an overdose or stops breathing. If a person is having an overdose alone, or if no one nearby has a naloxone dose or the training to administer it, that person’s likelihood of dying is much greater. This prompted the researchers to develop an auto-injector system that people with opioid use disorder can wear against their belly.
The other site was a hospital where 20 volunteers who did not take opioids wore the devices and held their breath for 15 seconds to mimic the symptom of stopping breathing. During this test, the devices did inject a naloxone dose when they sensed that the person had not moved for at least 15 seconds.
Naloxone attaches to opioid receptors and reverses and blocks the effects of other opioids if they have been consumed. After the shots, the participants had their blood taken to make sure the small dose of drug entered their bloodstream. The new study shows that the device acts as it should and delivers the right dose into a person's circulatory system. That said, more study is needed before the researchers can apply for approval from the FDA. Also, in addition to more tests on the devices' safety and effectiveness, the researchers need to know how comfortable the devices are to wear and whether they are hidden enough from view that people with an opioid addiction would be willing to wear them.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: “SAMHSA Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit: Five Essential Steps for First Responders.”
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