OFweekRobotOnline rescue of cardiac arrest patients is undoubtedly a race against time. Swedish researchers have tested and found that drones can deliver automated external defibrillators faster than ambulances, saving 17 minutes of life-saving time.
Researchers at the Caroline School of Medicine, Sweden’s largest medical school and medical research center, conducted 18 first-aid simulation tests of a drone-delivered cardiac defibrillator. The defibrillator weighs less than 2 pounds (0.9 kg) and includes electronic voice instructions for use. The launch point for the drone was at a fire station, and the test radius was 6.2 miles (10 kilometers).
The drone took an average of 5 minutes and 21 seconds to arrive at the location of the patient’s cardiac arrest, compared with an average of 22 minutes for the emergency vehicle. The 16 minutes and 39 seconds saved “could have important clinical implications,” the researchers said.
The research team analyzed data on cardiac arrest cases in towns near the capital Stockholm before testing. These towns do not have sufficient emergency medical re