Final proposal for overdose reversal kits

1. OVERDOSE KITS
JUAN P SANCHEZ
ROBERT CADENA

2. PROBLEM
STATEMENT
• The current opioid epidemic facing
the United States is regarded as
one of the biggest domestic drug
abuse problems since the cocaine
epidemic in the 80’s which at its
height was being used by over
10.4 million people. Since 1997
opioid use has grown an
astounding 450% bringing the
number of deaths last year to
70,000 people. An opioid
overdose acts quickly and more
often than not kills victim before
paramedics arrive. A solution is
needed desperately.

3. PAST AND
PRESENT
SOLUTIONS
• The first solution that was offered came as legislation in the mid
1990’s that put heavy restrictions on opioid prescription and
manufacture. This would prove to work against them because
this caused a span of time after the legislation was passed in
which doctors and patients feared prescribing and using opioids.
Therefore, pain management legislation was re-evaluated in the
early 2000’s and would be changed to actually encourage more
liberal prescription of opioids. This sudden influx of opioids is
what hooked the American populous, what first started as a pain
killer for patients who needed it, would turn into an addiction.
Presently, there has again been opioid restriction by the opioid
companies themselves at the industrial level, only outsourcing to
pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, while at the same time
reducing production.

4. MARKET EVALUATION
• Currently on the market there is an opioid reversal drug known a
naloxone that reverses opioid overdoses. It goes by the brand name
Narcan™. It is carried in ambulances and hospitals and is the
primary form of opioid overdose reversal it comes in two forms, an
injectable, and as a atomizer (nasal spray) Narcan requires medical
training in order to be administered to someone. There is also
another brand named Evzio™ which is a hand held auto-injector
filled with the naloxone hydrochloride, and is the first reversal drug
designed to be use by normal people who are not trained medically,
and can be administered outside of a hospital setting. Both require
prescriptions.

5. GANTT CHART

6. PROPOSED
SOLUTION
• The proposed idea is an Overdose Reversal kit which will
be deployed in high risk areas in the city where the
reversal agents will be available for quick access instead of
having to wait for the ambulance. Inside of this overdose
kit will be the Evzio Auto injector along with instructions
on how to use the device. In order to access the box one
would have to call 911 and give the operator which
number box it is and then the operator would proceed to
remotely open the secure box and give the person access
to the medicine. The point of this innovation is to have the
medicine available on site faster rather than having to wait
for an ambulance.

7. JUSTIFICATION
• The average response time for an
ambulance is 7-13 minutes
depending on where you live. Since
an opioid overdose is characterized
by causing the stoppage of breathing,
it can kill you in 5-10 minutes since
oxygen is one of the constants our
body needs to survive. That leaves a
two minute gap that the average
ambulance can not make up. The
way that we will disperse the
overdose kits is that we will analyze
911 calls that report opioid
overdoses and record from where
the call was made. Using that data
we will make a map of high risk areas
in which we will deploy our kits.

8. DESIGN CRITERIA
THE BOX WILL BE
MADE OF STEEL
(6*11*4 IN)
RADIO RECEIVER
INSIDE WHICH WILL
UNLOCK THE BOX
AUTOMATIC LOCK
( SOLENOID LOCK)
DEFIBRILLATOR POWER SUPPLY $1600 PER BOX
$

9. CONSTRAINTS
Must be secure enough
to withstand normal
outdoor wear, and not
easily opened by
outside force.
01
Highly visible (neon
colors and lettering)
02
Not easily movable
(bolted/securely in
place)
03

10. ANATOMICAL
ISSUES
Opioid overdoses cause rapid onset
breathing failure first slowing then
completely stopping the breathing
process.
Can cause foaming at the mouth
which people can choke on.
Possible cardiac arrest if overdose
goes on for more than five minutes.
(lack of oxygen)

11. TESTING CRITERIA
We hope to accomplish faster response time
rather than having to wait for the ambulance.
Reducing the time from overdose to reversal
drug administration is our main priority.

12. TESTING METHODS
• Data collection study
• Span of 3 months
• Will be concentrated on areas where the kits are deployed
• Time will be the data collected
• Timer will start when the operator receives the 911 call to open the lock and a time stamp will be put
on the time when the civilian administers the patient with the naloxone hydrochloride. The final time
will be recorded when the ambulance arrives.
• Success criteria: reduction in drug administration time by 40% at minimum.

14. CONCLUSION
• Our overdose kits aim to reduce the
time victims wait for the life saving
reversal drug Naloxone
Hydrochloride. The high risk area
map made by the 911 call logs will be
used to determine where the
overdose kits will be deployed in
order to have the optimal distance
from victims to the drugs.

15. RECOGNITION OF HELP AND SUPPORT
• We would like to thank the PLTW biomedical program at Americas HS and all of the wonderful teachers
who have molded into the students that we are today. From our Introduction to biomedical science
teacher Ms. Flores, to Mr. Morales who taught me and Robert both Human Body Systems and
Biomedical Innovations, to our teacher right now Ms. Wilson.

16. THANK YOU