The following is a summary of the “Piloting Smart Home Sensors to Detect Overnight Respiratory and Withdrawal Symptoms in Adults Prescribed Opioids,” published in the February 2023 issue of Pain management by Wilson, et al.

Clinically relevant symptoms of opioid withdrawal or respiratory depression in persons on methadone were explored in this pilot study using intelligent home sensors. Around 4 adults with opioid use disorder (3 of whom finished the study) with moderate pain, withdrawal symptoms, and sleep disturbance participated. The participants spent two nights sleeping for 8 hours each in a sleep lab, with polysomnography and smart home sensors installed in the walls of the bedrooms.

Completeness of data acquisition was one indicator of practicability. The reliability of time and event sensors was evaluated by comparing them to polysomnographic data assessing sleep/wake and respiratory status. About 48 out of 64 hours’ of data from smart home sensors were collected overnight (75% completeness). There was a high degree of congruence between the sleep/wake patterns picked up by sensors and the sleep episodes documented by polysomnography (89.4 percent of the time). 

Smart home sensors only picked up on apnea episodes (n = 118) with mild oxygen desaturations (>80%) in 2 separate episodes. Those experiencing pain, sleep difficulties, or opioid withdrawal symptoms may find that smart home technology is a less invasive alternative to biological monitoring. If apnea is a problem, additional sensors should be installed. Improvements in evaluating nocturnal opioid-related symptoms could result from such improvements.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1524904222001643