A new smart pill has been developed by Giovanni Traverso at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his colleagues, which could potentially diagnose sleep apnoea and detect opioid overdoses. The ingestible electronic device, roughly the size of a vitamin supplement, contains a tiny accelerometer that measures breathing and heart rate by detecting vibrations in the gut. This information is then transmitted to an external computer via a medical-implant radio, allowing for wireless and cheap assessment for sleep apnoea at home.
In a study involving 10 participants, the smart pill was found to measure breathing rate with 93 per cent accuracy and heart rate with 96 per cent accuracy compared to standard monitoring equipment. It was also able to detect uncontrolled sleep apnoea in one of the participants. The researchers also believe that the pill could be used to detect opioid overdoses and send an alert for help. Initial tests in an anaesthetised pig showed the device’s ability to detect a drop in breathing rate caused by an opioid overdose, allowing for the administration of naloxone to reverse the effects.
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