Drones Could Save Lives by Delivering Defibrillators in Cardiac Emergencies

New Delhi, September 26 (Daily Kiran) : Drones are evolving beyond their traditional roles of capturing images or delivering packages. They are now being explored as life-saving tools in medical emergencies. A recent study presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress suggests that drones could effectively transport Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to locations where individuals suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting.

In cases of cardiac arrest, time is of the essence. Research in India indicates a rising trend of cardiac arrests, increasingly affecting younger populations. According to the Indian Heart Association, more than half of heart attack victims among Indian men are under 50, and a quarter are under 40. Experts note that each minute of delay in CPR and defibrillation can reduce the chances of survival by approximately 10 percent.

The challenge arises when ambulances take too long to arrive. To address this, researchers in France examined the potential of using drones to deliver AEDs promptly. Professor Mathieu Hedet from Henri-Mondor University Hospital in Créteil emphasized the goal of emergency medical services is to ensure timely defibrillation for cardiac arrest patients.

The study analyzed 28,349 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases in the Greater Paris area from 2011 to 2024, excluding central Paris. The researchers compared these cases to the locations of 1,893 permanent AEDs in the region. The findings revealed that the current system struggles to deliver AEDs on time, with only 30 percent of cardiac arrests occurring within 500 meters of the nearest AED.

To improve coverage, the study indicated that adding 910 AEDs would bring 84.5 percent of cases within a 500-meter radius, while 1,712 additional AEDs would be required for complete coverage. Drones could change this scenario significantly. The researchers proposed establishing drone bases capable of operating within a 3.9-kilometer radius. With just 100 drone bases and 26 additional AEDs, over 97 percent of cardiac arrest cases could be covered.

A model with 200 drone bases could potentially cover more than 99 percent of cases with only four extra AEDs. The study also assessed how quickly existing road infrastructure could deliver an AED to an emergency scene, finding that it was feasible in only 30 to 40 percent of cases. In contrast, the drone model could deliver AEDs to nearly all relevant cases within five minutes.

Dr. Hillary Minka, leading the research team, noted that drones could be particularly beneficial in rural areas or locations where road access is challenging. In this system, drones could be dispatched directly to the scene following an emergency call. The dispatch center could activate the drone upon receiving a cardiac arrest alert. The drone would follow an automated flight path, with a trained pilot overseeing the final approach.

Once the drone arrives, a bystander could use the AED on the patient, allowing CPR and defibrillation to commence while waiting for the ambulance. However, this technology has not yet been fully integrated into standard medical practices. The current study relies on computer models, and real-world deployment of drones has yet to be tested on a large scale. Peer review of the study is still pending, and researchers stress the importance of considering the cost of drones in evaluating the feasibility of this technology.

In Sweden, drones have already been used to deliver AEDs in real-world situations. A pilot study in 2020 demonstrated that drones could deliver AEDs, sometimes arriving at the scene before ambulances. Nevertheless, experts caution that drones cannot replace ambulances. Their role is to enhance the effectiveness of the initial minutes before emergency medical teams arrive.

In cardiac arrest situations, those first few minutes can mean the difference between life and death. As technology advances, drones may soon become a crucial part of emergency medical services for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidents.