A wearable acoustofluidic patch for rapid reversal of opioid overdose

Opioids are among the most potent and reliable analgesic agents currently available, but their overdose can lead to respiratory depression and death. Although naloxone is widely used to reverse opioid overdose, it is often challenging to administer naloxone quickly enough to reverse an opioid overdose before death. Herein, we present a wearable acoustofluidic patch for rapid and automatic detection and reversal of opioid overdose. By integrating digital acoustic streaming into a 3D-printed micro-device, an acoustofluidic patch can be assembled for active and on-demand transdermal delivery of naloxone. By incorporating deep learning-guided respiratory sensing, the wearable patch can be further adapted for intelligent closed-loop treatment of opioid overdose. Moreover, our wearable patch has demonstrated successful reversal of fentanyl overdose in a mouse model, showing significantly reduced detection time, duration, and severity of overdose events, compared to the conventional method. This innovative approach may provide a promising means for personalized healthcare and digital therapy against acute disease. Opioid overdose can be deadly, and timely naloxone delivery remains challenging. Here, the authors develop a wearable acoustofluidic patch that detects overdose using deep-learning respiratory sensing and automatically delivers naloxone to reverse fentanyl overdose in mice.