Wearable Biosensors to Detect Physiologic Change During Opioid Use

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Clinical Pharmacology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Opioid analgesic use contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality in the US.
• Current relapse detection methods for opioid use disorder are often retrospective and subjective.
• Effective treatment programs struggle with accurate and timely relapse detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of wearable biosensors for detecting physiologic changes associated with opioid administration.
• To assess the potential of biosensors to differentiate between opioid use patterns.

Main Methods:

• Thirty emergency department patients prescribed intravenous opioids wore wristband biosensors measuring electrodermal activity, skin temperature, and locomotion.
• Biosensor data were recorded before and after opioid administration.
• Data were analyzed using Hilbert transform and paired t-tests to compare within- and between-subject variations.

Main Results:

• Biosensors consistently detected decreased locomotion and increased skin temperature post-opioid administration.
• Electrodermal activity changes were not consistently detected.
• Physiologic patterns differed between heavy and non-heavy opioid users, with heavy users showing greater reduction in fidgeting movements.

Conclusions:

• Wearable biosensors can identify consistent physiologic patterns following opioid administration.
• Distinct biosensor patterns were observed between heavy and non-heavy opioid users.
• Further research into biosensor applications for addiction treatment and pain management is warranted.