Drones could speed up getting defibrillators to people having cardiac arrests, study suggests
New research suggests the technology could be used to increase out-of-hospital access to life-saving devices Drones could help cut the time it takes to get a defibrillator to people experiencing cardiac arrests when not in hospital, researchers have suggested. In the UK alone, there are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests a year where emergency medical services attempt to resuscitate…
A recent study indicates drones may enhance the delivery of defibrillators to individuals experiencing cardiac arrest outside of hospitals. In the UK, over 30,000 such incidents occur each year, with less than 10% of victims surviving, according to the British Heart Foundation. Survival largely depends on the speed of receiving treatment; each minute without CPR and defibrillation decreases survival chances by 10%.
Matthieu Heidet, a professor of emergency medicine at Henri-Mondor university hospital in Créteil, France, highlighted the urgency of addressing this issue. Heidet and his colleagues analyzed 28,349 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Paris between 2011 and 2024, excluding central Paris. They discovered that only 30% of these cases occurred within 500 meters of a fixed automated external defibrillator (AED).
To achieve coverage of 84.5% of cases, an additional 910 fixed AEDs would be required, while 100% coverage would need 1,712 more. However, using drones within a 3,900-meter radius could raise coverage significantly with fewer devices.
Implementing 200 drone bases paired with only four extra AEDs could cover more than 99% of cases, as drone delivery reached virtually all cardiac arrest cases within five minutes. Unlike public AEDs, which are often inaccessible and mainly activated by emergency services, drone delivery allows for faster response. Heidet explained that drones are controlled by trained pilots, activated by emergency dispatch, and deliver AEDs to the scene following an automated flight path.
The pilot handles the final approach to ensure delivery to the scene, where the AED can be used by bystanders.
While the study has not been peer-reviewed yet, it presents at the European Emergency Medicine Congress in Paris. It underscores the potential of drones in bridging gaps in cardiac arrest response and suggests a promising future for integrating drone technology in medical emergencies.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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