Innovation That Matters

Injectable foam delivers oxygen intravenously

Sport & Fitness

A new injectable foam delivers intravenous oxygen that can help keep patients alive longer even while they're having trouble breathing.

No sooner had we covered Sano Intelligence’s wearable patch for monitoring blood chemistry then we got word of a brand-new medical technology designed to relax the body when in a state of alarm. A new, injectable foam can deliver intravenous oxygen that helps to keep patients alive longer even while they’re having trouble breathing. As described in a recent issue of Science, a research team has developed “an injectable foam suspension containing self-assembling, lipid-based microparticles encapsulating a core of pure oxygen gas for intravenous injection”. Between 50 and 90 ml of oxygen gas were contained per deciliter in a recent prototype suspension. When mixed with human blood, oxygen levels in that blood improved dramatically within four seconds, the authors report, offering new potential for the short-term rescue of those suffering from a lack of oxygen. The new technology foam has only recently been announced, but it’s a safe bet that healthcare entrepreneurs the world over are already evaluating it. those in the medical sector — how about you? Spotted by: Hemanth Chandrasekar

Email: john.kheir@childrens.harvard.edu

Website: www.stm.sciencemag.org/content/4/140/140ra88

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