Device Invented For COVID-19 Patients Can Help Drunk Folks Get Sober Faster

It is no secret that when alcohol is consumed in our body, the main composition is broken down by the liver, as the breakdown completes, our body sobers up. But it does this at its own pace, which can be a bit time-consuming.

Representational Image: Getty Images

While this is not as dangerous for someone who has had a few more pints of beer, for people who are experiencing alcohol poisoning, it is a matter of life and death. In such cases, doctors normally monitor body functions and oxygen levels till the liver has broken down every bit of alcohol from the body.

However, the new device made by researchers at Toronto¡¯s University Health Network (reported first by Gizmodo) can actually speed up this process and save lives. In case you were wondering if it's just the liver that does the hard job, you¡¯re wrong. Overconsumption of alcohol also ends up reaching the lungs through blood, where some part of it is exhaled, along with carbon dioxide.

According to researchers, the exhalation of carbon dioxide and alcohol is slower, but it can be sped up if the individual hyperventilates. But hyperventilation also possesses the risk of taking in too much oxygen and letting out too much carbon dioxide, causing the patient to consciousness. The device (dubbed ClearMate), however, forces the user to hyperventilate while simultaneously adding oxygen and carbon dioxide back into the body.

They tested this device on five healthy volunteers where they were asked to get intoxicated with 80-proof vodka and 500 millilitres of water. They ran tests for two days where they monitored the time it took for the volunteers to get sober naturally as well as using the device. They were able to measure alcohol level using a breathalyzer as well as blood samples. Researchers discovered that volunteers were able to sober up three times faster using the device compared to their own metabolism alone.

University Health Network

Joseph Fisher, an anesthesiologist and senior researcher at University Health Network in Toronto, said in a statement to Gizmodo, ¡°With each breath, it is designed to allow the normal amount of carbon dioxide to escape and any excess is returned on the very next breath. This is all done in a simple way by a mechanical valve so it is foolproof¡ªwithout needing electronics or computers.¡±

The device has already received marketing approval from the FDA and has been in use in the US for carbon monoxide poisoning. However, the device is yet to get approval for eliminating alcohol intoxication.