NIDA IRP Technology Development Initiative Featured Paper

A figure from this article. Image copyright IEEE

A Wearable Device Towards Automatic Detection and Treatment of Opioid Overdose

Published in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems.

Authors

Juan C Mesa, Michael D MacLean, Maria Ms, Alan Nguyen, Rujuta Patel, Timothy Diemer, Jongcheon Lim, Chi Hwan Lee, Hyowon Lee

Paper presented by Dr. Agnieszka Sulima and selected by the NIDA TDI Paper of the Month Committee

Publication Brief Description

Opioid use disorder (OUD) and fatal overdose due to intentional and unintentional consumption of opioids, particularly fentanyl and fentanyl-laced mixtures, are emerging global concerns. According to CDC estimates, more than 81,000 deaths were attributed to opioids in 2022 alone. Accessibility to naloxone as a harm reduction intervention for people at risk for opioid overdose is critical in combating opioid-related deaths. Researchers at Purdue University demonstrated the feasibility of a minimally invasive automatic naloxone delivery system that can administer a dose of naloxone upon detection of overdose-induced respiratory failure. The system consists of (1) a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) sensor for detecting hypoxia event, (2) a MOSFET switch driver to integrate the NIRS circuit to a zero-voltage switching (ZVS) driver, (3) a ZVS electromagnetic filed generator to activate a drug delivery device in the presence of hypoxia event, and (4) an implantable drug delivery capsule. It is the first wearable closed-loop device utilizing NIRS sensor to detect and treat an overdose event. Furthermore, the researchers demonstrated that the device is capable of a rapid, within 10 seconds, delivery of a dose of naloxone after detecting a hypoxic event. Although further studies and optimizations are needed, the proof-of-concept closed-loop naloxone delivery system has the potential to reduce opioid toxicity in the absence of bystanders.

Mesa, Juan C; MacLean, Michael D; Ms, Maria; Nguyen, Alan; Patel, Rujuta; Diemer, Timothy; Lim, Jongcheon; Lee, Chi Hwan; Lee, Hyowon

A Wearable Device Towards Automatic Detection and Treatment of Opioid Overdose Journal Article

In: IEEE Trans Biomed Circuits Syst, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 396–407, 2024, ISSN: 1940-9990.

Abstract | Links

@article{pmid37938943,

title = {A Wearable Device Towards Automatic Detection and Treatment of Opioid Overdose},

author = {Juan C Mesa and Michael D MacLean and Maria Ms and Alan Nguyen and Rujuta Patel and Timothy Diemer and Jongcheon Lim and Chi Hwan Lee and Hyowon Lee},

url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37938943/},

doi = {10.1109/TBCAS.2023.3331272},

issn = {1940-9990},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-04-01},

urldate = {2024-04-01},

journal = {IEEE Trans Biomed Circuits Syst},

volume = {18},

number = {2},

pages = {396--407},

abstract = {Opioid-induced overdose is one of the leading causes of death among the US population under the age of 50. In 2021 alone, the death toll among opioid users rose to a devastating number of over 80,000. The overdose process can be reversed by the administration of naloxone, an opioid antagonist that rapidly counteracts the effects of opioid-induced respiratory depression. The idea of a closed-loop opioid overdose detection and naloxone delivery has emerged as a potential engineered solution to mitigate the deadly effects of the opioid epidemic. In this work, we introduce a wrist-worn wearable device that overcomes the portability issues of our previous work to create a closed-loop drug-delivery system, which includes (1) a Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) sensor to detect a hypoxia-driven opioid overdose event, (2) a MOSFET switch, and (3) a Zero-Voltage Switching (ZVS) electromagnetic heater. Using brachial artery occlusion (BAO) with human subjects (n = 8), we demonstrated consistent low oxygenation events. Furthermore, we proved our device's capability to release the drug within 10 s after detecting a hypoxic event. We found that the changes in the oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin and oxygenation saturation levels ( SpO) were different before and after the low-oxygenation events ( 0.001). Although additional human experiments are needed, our results to date point towards a potential tool in the battle to mitigate the effects of the opioid epidemic.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}