Non-invasive Blood Alcohol Sensor for Emergency Room Applications

DESCRIPTION provided by applicant Project Summary Accurate quantification of alcohol and drugs of abuse intoxication in emergency rooms ERs is an important screening step for a precise diagnosis and hence for prompt treatment Some severe emergencies such as traumatic head injury diabetes and stroke can be misdiagnosed in the absence of screening for alcohol and drug intoxication reliable measurement of alcohol and drug intake levels would improve diagnosis and subsequent treatment in these cases Most methods now used in emergency rooms either require patient cooperation and interaction such as a Breathalyzer or are invasive and have prolonged processing times such as blood and urine sample analysis making them inappropriate for ER applications In particular patients suffering from drug and alcohol intoxication are often not able or are unwilling to interact with medical personnel hence the need for easier sampling and reliable measurement To address this need Intelligent Optical Systems is collaborating with Dr Robert Woolard of Texas Tech University Health Science Center TTUHSC Emergency Medicine Department a recognized expert in alcohol and drugs of abuse in ER related studies in our development for a non invasive saliva based analyzer for ER applications The analyzer measures emissions of fluorescent labeled selective reagents to detect alcohol and drugs of abuse in saliva samples Although saliva monitoring is an established area for alcohol and drugs of abuse accurate quantitative measurements are still needed to quantify the intoxication levels in admitted ER patients without relying on visual judgments In Phase I we demonstrated the feasibility of achieving reproducible highly sensitive measurements of alcohol levels in buffer and modeled saliva as well as in human saliva samples obtained by Dr Woolard and TTUHSC that were tested and compared to blood levels In Phase II we will test an additional human samples to expand the statistical data and determine sensor accuracy and precision levels introduce a method for quantitative high mid low measurement of six drugs of abuse opiates cocaine amphetamines THC benzodiazepines barbiturates and develop the portable readout system The objective is a simple yet highly accurate optical detection platform suitable for bedside ER applications with further potential for widespread clinical monitoring applications in many healthcare settings PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE Project Narrative Intelligent Optical Systems proposes to develop a new technique for saliva based measurement of alcohol and drugs of abuse in emergency rooms The detector will have the measurement accuracy required in emergency rooms without the need for active patient interaction and will therefore contribute to rapid diagnosis and appropriate treatment