Article Excerpt: The most effective way to prevent death when someone has overdosed on opioids is to administer a drug called naloxone: It binds to opioid receptors, sometimes restoring normal breathing in minutes. But people often don’t receive it in time if at all, especially if they overdose while they are alone.
Now mechanical engineer Giovanni Traverso and colleagues at MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have developed an implant that can inject naloxone into the subcutaneous tissue when it finds that an overdose has occurred. In a study, the researchers showed that the device reversed overdoses in animals 96% of the time. They hope it could ultimately save lives in high-risk populations, such as people who have already survived an overdose.
Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/yc4ykum5
Article Source: MIT Technology Review