Working in healthcare, we’re well acquainted with the scourge of drinking and driving. So we read with interest about a consumer device intended to discourage borderline drunks from getting behind the wheel. The Breath Test Pen is an inexpensive breathalyzer that flashes a red light if the BAC is above legal:
The Breath Test Pen works just like a standard breathalyser, but instead of blowing into a bag, you blow into a hole in the pen top. It takes just seconds; if you’re over the limit, the green LED light turns red and lets you know it’s time to book a taxi… Easy to use and carry around, it’s an excellent accessory for all drivers.
This might make for a handy device for EMS and in the clinic. Emergency departments receive many drunks, and the documentation routinely has to sidestep the issue (“an ethanol-like odor on the breath was noted.”) Much could be communicated if prehospital personnel could write, “pen test positive…”
Via Engadget …