A step toward preventing overdose

Abstract

Opioid Overdose Opioid addiction and overdose remain serious health concerns in the United States. Naloxone can reverse opioid overdose but must be administered in a timely manner. Toward this goal, Nandakumar et al. configured a smartphone to detect changes in respiration that precede opioid overdose. Using sonar, the smartphone detected respiratory depression and apnea (temporary lack of breathing) after self-injected drug use in a supervised injection facility. Respiratory changes while under general anesthesia, which simulates opioid-induced overdose, were also detected in a clinical setting. Sci. Transl. Med. 11 , eaau8914 (2019).