Handheld device could save lives and cut unnecessary hospital trips

Handheld device could save lives and cut unnecessary hospital trips


What if you could have a portable, handheld device at home to predict a huge array of diagnoses, from heart attacks to breast cancer? Biomedical engineers at Johns Hopkins University may have invented just that.

Intended to be a “check engine” light for humans, the battery-powered device, called MouthLab, picks up vital signs from a person’s lips and fingertips. The team that invented the device hopes it will replace cumbersome and restrictive equipment currently used in hospitals, as well as collect more data faster than a typical rapid medical assessment during a medical emergency.

In a recent trial, the device measured heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, breathing rate and blood oxygen, and was able to perform a basic electrocardiogram. The results of all the readings compared well with vital signs measured by hospital equipment.

The inventors also would like the device to be usable in a home setting, requiring no special training on the part of the patient. Since the device may detect early signs of a heart attack or pinpoint when vital signs are good, emergency room visits could be reduced. The researchers hope to make it so patients can transmit their results via cellphone or an app to their doctor.

The developers plan to increase the scope of tests the device can conduct through a mouth sensor similar to one a scuba diver uses. This sensor could detect blood, saliva and breath markers for conditions such as diabetes and kidney failure as well as oral, lung and breast cancers.

For now the team is continuing to improve the device and make it more usable for patients. But soon, they hope the device will be able to help people spot a problem, such as a heart attack, in as little as 10 seconds. That type of quick notice could help save countless lives.

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