{
  "id": 9913095,
  "title": "Drones could speed up getting defibrillators to people having cardiac arrests, study suggests",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/drones-could-speed-up-getting-defibrillators-to-people-having-cardiac",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-26T05:00:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Health",
    "slug": "guardian-health",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/sep/26/drones-could-speed-up-getting-defibrillators-to-people-having-cardiac-arrests-study-suggests"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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%.\n\nMatthieu 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.\n\nImplementing 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the final approach to ensure delivery to the scene, where the AED can be used by bystanders.\n\nWhile the study has not been peer-reviewed yet, it presents at the European Emergency Medicine Congress in Paris.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.",
  "summary": "Drones may help reduce the time it takes to get a defibrillator to people experiencing cardiac arrests outside of a hospital. According to the British Heart Foundation, there are over 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, with fewer than one in 10 people surviving such an event.\n\nResearchers suggest that drones could be used to deliver automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to those in need. Medical Xpress reports that the study found delivering AEDs by drone, combined with providing more fixed AEDs, significantly reduced the time between an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest being reported and the start of defibrillation.\n\nThe Medical Xpress report also quotes Dr. Hillary Minka, an emergency physician, stating that survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest depends strongly on early cardiopulmonary resuscitation and timely defibrillation, and that every minute of delay before defibrillation reduces the chances of survival.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Medical Xpress",
        "title": "Drones could speed up delivery of automated external defibrillators to patients suffering cardiac arrest",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/drones-could-speed-up-delivery-of-automated-external-defibrillators",
        "published": "2026-09-25T22:00:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}