Oreskovic Jessica, Kaufman Jaycee, Thommandram Anirudh, Fossat Yan
Klick Labs, Klick Inc, Toronto, ON, Canada.
JMIR Biomed Eng. 2023 Oct 24;8:e51754. doi: 10.2196/51754.
The opioid epidemic is a growing crisis worldwide. While many interventions have been put in place to try to protect people from opioid overdoses, they typically rely on the person to take initiative in protecting themselves, requiring forethought, preparation, and action. Respiratory depression or arrest is the mechanism by which opioid overdoses become fatal, but it can be reversed with the timely administration of naloxone.
In this study, we described the development and validation of an opioid overdose detection radar (ODR), specifically designed for use in public restroom stalls. In-laboratory testing was conducted to validate the noncontact, privacy-preserving device against a respiration belt and to determine the accuracy and reliability of the device.
We used an ODR system with a high-frequency pulsed coherent radar sensor and a Raspberry Pi (Raspberry Pi Ltd), combining advanced technology with a compact and cost-effective setup to monitor respiration and detect opioid overdoses. To determine the optimal position for the ODR within the confined space of a restroom stall, iterative testing was conducted, considering the radar's bounded capture area and the limitations imposed by the stall's dimensions and layout. By adjusting the orientation of the ODR, we were able to identify the most effective placement where the device reliably tracked respiration in a number of expected positions. Experiments used a mock restroom stall setup that adhered to building code regulations, creating a controlled environment while maintaining the authenticity of a public restroom stall. By simulating different body positions commonly associated with opioid overdoses, the ODR's ability to accurately track respiration in various scenarios was assessed. To determine the accuracy of the ODR, testing was performed using a respiration belt as a reference. The radar measurements were compared with those obtained from the belt in experiments where participants were seated upright and slumped over.
The results demonstrated favorable agreement between the radar and belt measurements, with an overall mean error in respiration cycle duration of 0.0072 (SD 0.54) seconds for all recorded respiration cycles (N=204). During the simulated overdose experiments where participants were slumped over, the ODR successfully tracked respiration with a mean period difference of 0.0091 (SD 0.62) seconds compared with the reference data.
The findings suggest that the ODR has the potential to detect significant deviations in respiration patterns that may indicate an opioid overdose event. The success of the ODR in these experiments indicates the device should be further developed and implemented to enhance safety and emergency response measures in public restrooms. However, additional validation is required for unhealthy opioid-influenced respiratory patterns to guarantee the ODR's effectiveness in real-world overdose situations.
阿片类药物泛滥是全球日益严重的危机。虽然已经采取了许多干预措施来保护人们免受阿片类药物过量的影响，但这些措施通常依赖于个人主动保护自己，需要事先考虑、准备和行动。呼吸抑制或骤停是阿片类药物过量致死的机制，但及时使用纳洛酮可以逆转。
在本研究中，我们描述了一种专门为公共卫生间隔间设计的阿片类药物过量检测雷达（ODR）的开发和验证过程。在实验室进行测试，以验证这种非接触式、保护隐私的设备相对于呼吸带的性能，并确定该设备的准确性和可靠性。
我们使用了一个带有高频脉冲相干雷达传感器和树莓派（Raspberry Pi Ltd）的ODR系统，将先进技术与紧凑且经济高效的设置相结合，以监测呼吸并检测阿片类药物过量情况。为了确定ODR在卫生间隔间有限空间内的最佳位置，考虑到雷达的有限捕获区域以及隔间尺寸和布局所带来的限制，进行了迭代测试。通过调整ODR的方向，我们能够确定最有效的放置位置，使该设备能够在多个预期位置可靠地跟踪呼吸。实验使用了符合建筑规范的模拟卫生间隔间设置，在保持公共卫生间隔间真实性的同时创建了一个可控环境。通过模拟与阿片类药物过量通常相关的不同身体姿势，评估了ODR在各种场景下准确跟踪呼吸的能力。为了确定ODR的准确性，使用呼吸带作为参考进行测试。在参与者坐直和 slumped over（此处可能是“瘫倒”之意）的实验中，将雷达测量结果与从呼吸带获得的测量结果进行比较。
结果表明雷达测量结果与呼吸带测量结果之间具有良好的一致性，所有记录的呼吸周期（N = 204）的呼吸周期持续时间的总体平均误差为0.0072（标准差0.54）秒。在模拟的过量实验中，当参与者瘫倒时，与参考数据相比，ODR成功跟踪呼吸，平均周期差为0.0091（标准差0.62）秒。
研究结果表明，ODR有潜力检测出可能表明阿片类药物过量事件的呼吸模式的显著偏差。ODR在这些实验中的成功表明，该设备应进一步开发和应用，以加强公共卫生间的安全和应急响应措施。然而，对于不健康的受阿片类药物影响的呼吸模式，需要进行额外的验证，以确保ODR在现实世界过量情况下的有效性。
