Health News: New discovery for the safety of children! Smart sensors will prevent overdose of painkillers

Kids Health Tips: American researchers have developed a "smart" lactation sensor. These smart sensors are special to protect infants from excessive exposure to the common pain reliever acetaminophen.

 

 

Save Children from Painkiller: American researchers have developed a "smart" lactation sensor. These smart sensors are special to protect infants from excessive exposure to the common painkiller acetaminophen. Acetaminophen is commonly used for pain management after childbirth. It is also often used to treat fever in infants.

Medication is the main cause of liver failure in children 

Apart from giving the drug directly to children, there is also a possibility of getting the drug through mother's milk, which can pose a risk of drug overdose. This drug is the leading cause of liver failure in children and the most common reason for liver transplant in the US. The acetaminophen sensor developed by researchers at the University of Southern California in the US is included in a simple nursing pad. It detects acetaminophen in breast milk.

"Breastfeeding mothers face many health challenges, including nutritional deficiencies, the risk of developing a breast-tissue infection — mastitis, and the potential transfer of medications and other substances through their milk," said Maral Mousavi, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the university.

What is a lactation pad?

Currently available methods for measuring acetaminophen levels in milk are expensive, complex, and unavailable for routine use at home. The team focused on lactation pads that are worn inside bras to absorb leaking milk.

 

The researchers took a simple lactation pad and created tiny microfluidic channels to move milk to a sensory area. The pads collect milk that is naturally released during the let-down reflex throughout the day. There, low-cost electrochemical sensors go to work and detect and measure important health markers in the milk. The sensors then send real-time readings to the user's smartphone via a compact, portable detector that works much like a glucometer, using electrical pulses to measure acetaminophen levels.

It also works on the changing composition of milk 

With this information, users can make decisions — such as whether to pump or discard any medication present in the milk — to ensure safe feeding for their baby. The researchers tested the sensor's accuracy using human milk samples containing varying levels of acetaminophen. They also verified that the sensor works in the presence of antibiotics as well as the varying composition of breast milk.