Some of us have severe asthma, and attacks can be dangerous, especially if you can't reach your inhaler in time. (I know if you are really bad you would have it with you at all times, but convulsions may prevent you from reaching it in the most severe cases) For the worst asthma sufferers, the Insta-Inhaler acts like a pacemaker for your lungs. it is a special implant containing the same medicine found in your emergency inhaler. when the device senses the symptoms of an asthma attack, it releases the medicine into the lungs, thus preventing the attack from worsening.
They would contain enough medicine for at least 3 months, (if you had an attack every day) and could be refilled at your nearest hospital, but i am a bit stuck on how this could be done..
This would probably be an option only for those whose lives have become a living hell due to the severity of their attacks. The rest of us can stick with what we've got, as I imagine we don't fancy having things shoved down our throats...
Any ideas would be very helpful!-- Deadlock'd, Jan 30 2004 Deadlock'd: proper treatment of all but the most severe asthma should eliminate any symtpoms. You should not wait for rescue inhalers. You can use a variety of other medications. After a bad 2 years in the early nineties, I went on a regiment with a good pulminologist and have not had an attack in 10 years.
Singulair, for instance, comes in tablet form and is supposed to do exactly what you describe -- lower the incidence of attacks.
New treatments are coming as well, based on the latest understanding of the auto-immune response that causes asthma.-- theircompetitor, Jan 30 2004 I think I'd rather take pills than have someone mess around with my windpipe (you'd need to mount this at the top of the lungs).-- kropotkin, Jan 30 2004 Why would a human (designed to breath air) have bad lungs in the first place! It's because of all the crap we put in the atmosphere, in our water, in our food, in our clothing materials and in our bodies etc.
Prevention is ALWAYS better than cure!
Also the body is very warm and moist, inhaler medicine also has a use-by-date, these things and more could effect the quality. What about overdosing when a bit of food gets stuck or if you have common cough/cold?-- grippit, Jan 30 2004 Something as severe as an asthma attack should set off enough muscle activity to be detected by skin electrodes. No implant required. How get the material into the lungs I don't know, something like an air-bag inflator giving you a full blast in the face?
//Prevention is ALWAYS better than cure!// If nobody is born, nobody can die. Prevent millions of deaths by not having kids!-- kbecker, Jan 30 2004 Obviously, the people who are saying "you should not wait for rescue inhalers" haven't met anyone with as severe asthma as someone I know, who is ON the singulair and steroid inhalers and antiallergens and preventatives and has a world-class pulmonologist treating him, and -still- hits the rescue inhaler daily. It's not everyone, but there are those few for whom this could be a life-saving device. I'd say perhaps it should detect when blood oxygen levels drop to dangerous levels? I'll vote for checking it out, at least.-- gamerchyk, Jan 30 2004 //Prevention is ALWAYS better than cure!// Not if you are allready dying. If I were in the middle of an asthma attack I think I'd rather have my inhalor than some long term polution removal plan. (Especially as we can't even get half the planet to ratify the kyoto agreement.)
Fortunately my asthma isn't that bad as I really wouldn't like the idea of an implant like this.-- RobertKidney, Feb 02 2004 Actually I like the idea, obviously only for very extreme cases though. Not sure about the best way to sense an attack, but the implant could be anywhere. If it is only for emergencies doses of the medication could be injected into the blood stream by the implant. They used to treat attacks by injecting adrenaline, and I used to have pills that had the same active as my inhaler, the dosage would be different but the same stuff could be injected too. An attack could perhaps be detected by looking for a sudden change in oxygen/co2 ratios in the blood?-- brewer, Feb 02 2004 In response to those who say 'prevention is better than the cure.' You obviously do not have asthma, and indeed have very little understanding of the condition. True, asthma can be caused by pollution or smoking, but in most cases, as was with mine, the condition is genetic, and stays with you for the rest of your life since the day you are born.
Please don't comment on things you don't understand.-- Deadlock'd, Mar 18 2004 random, halfbakery