Wearable detects and reverses opioid overdose

Developed by a team at the University of Washington, the device senses when a person stops breathing and moving and injects naloxone, which can restore respiration.

The results demonstrate the proof-of-concept of a wearable naloxone injector system, according to the paper published Scientific Reports.

Opioids include prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. According to the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly 50,000 people in the US died from opioid-related overdoses in 2019.

"The opioid epidemic has become worse during the pandemic and has continued to be a major public health crisis," said lead author Justin Chan, a UW doctoral student in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. "We have created algorithms that run on a wearable injector to detect when the wearer stops breathing and automatically inject naloxone."

In a statement, co-author Jacob Sunshine, an associate professor of anaesthesiology and pain medicine at the UW School of Medicine, said one of the unique aspects of opioid overdoses is that naloxone is highly effective and can save lives if it can be administered in a timely fashion.