South Korean scientists have created a non-invasive sensor that will help treat patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
When a patient faces respiratory distress in the emergency room doctors usually administer high concentrations of oxygen via a mask. But for some people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease it can actually shut down the body's breathing reflex.Spotting at-risk patients normally takes precious minutes, but the non-invasive sensor created by Shin-Won Kang at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea, and his team helped identify such patients in seconds, reported the online edition of New Scientist.
The device that works by analysing infrared light captures CO2 (carbon dioxide) using a small receptacle that is pressed to the inside of the wrist where arterial blood vessels are close to the skin. The capsule collects the CO2 that diffuses from the blood out through the skin.
IANS
