AED-equipped drones can arrive minutes ahead of EMS for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
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Drones successfully delivered automated external defibrillators to the locations of suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, according to a speaker at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.
In 64% of cases, the AED arrived nearly 2 minutes ahead of the ambulance, researchers reported.
For every minute without treatment for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, the chances of survival decrease by approximately 7% to 10%, and, in Sweden, the median ambulance response time is about 11 minutes, according to the presentation. Therefore, researchers posited that drone delivery of AEDs directly to cases of suspected cardiac arrest may not only be feasible but may arrive faster than an ambulance.
“Last year, we conducted a study where we looked at the use of drones to deliver [AEDs] to patients suffering from cardiac arrest,” Sofia Schierbeck, MD, physician at Karolinska University Hospital and PhD student at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, said during a presentation. “We found that AEDs can be carried by drones to real-life cases of cardiac arrest outside of hospitals, and we also found that there can be a time benefit as compared to the emergency medical services (EMS) or ambulance, in the cases where the drone arrived first.”
In Gothenburg, Sweden, researchers integrated three automated drone systems with EMS for AED delivery from June to September 2020. The AED-equipped drones were placed within controlled airspace, an operating area the covered approximately 80,000 residents. The primary outcome was successful AED delivery following drone dispatch. Secondary outcomes included arrival ahead of the ambulance and added time benefit. Researchers excluded cases of suspected cardiac arrest when rain and heavy wind were present. The study was simultaneously published in the European Heart Journal.
During the trial period, 14 cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were eligible for drone dispatch, 12 of which led to drone takeoff. In cases where a drone took off, there were 11 successful AED deliveries (92%).
Schierbeck reported that the drone was capable of delivering an AED within an average of 9 m from the location of the suspected cardiac arrest.
In 64% of cases, the drone arrived before the ambulance, with a median of 1 minute and 52 seconds lead time.
Schierbeck stated that 39 cases of suspected cardiac arrest were excluded from the analysis due to factors such as no-fly zone around high-rise buildings and adverse weather conditions.
“Using drones to deliver AEDs is feasible and we have shown that with this study,” Schierbeck said during the presentation. “They have the potential to decrease time to defibrillation in patients suffering for cardiac arrest. This could lead to higher chance of survival in this patient group. We believe that in a few years, drones used to deliver emergency medical equipment, such as AEDs, could be common practice. This could, in theory, save thousands of lives each year.”
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Schierbeck S, et al. Congress committee e-posters choice in arrhythmias and device therapy. Presented at: European Society of Cardiology Congress; Aug. 27-30, 2021 (virtual meeting).
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