Save the article
Drones equipped with defibrillators can usually be on the scene faster than the ambulance in case of suspected cardiac arrest. This is shown by new Swedish research, which opens up the possibility of flying more life-saving interventions.
When a person’s heart stops, every second counts – and a shock with a defibrillator can greatly increase the chances of survival.
In a new study, researchers at the Karolinska Institute have evaluated a project in Västra Götaland where drones with defibrillators are sent out to people with suspected cardiac arrest – something they are the first in the world to test, according to the researchers.
When both drones and ambulances were dispatched, the drone was first on the scene in 67 percent of the cases, and the time gain was on average just over three minutes.
In 18 cases, it was a real cardiac arrest, and in six of them the person who raised the alarm managed to use the defibrillator. It recommended an electric shock in two cases – and in one of them the person survived.
The results show that the method works all year round and in daylight as well as darkness, say the researchers. And it also opens the door for flying deliveries of other types of medical supplies in life-threatening conditions, according to Andreas Claesson, docent at the Center for Cardiac Arrest Research at the Karolinska Institutet and responsible for the study.
– This could, for example, be about flying out compression bandages in the event of acts of terrorism where it is dangerous to stay on site. Or adrenaline pens when someone has suffered allergic shock from a wasp sting in the mouth.
Regarding cardiac arrest, he believes that more CPR training is needed in society and training of emergency operators if drones are to be introduced on a broad front.
Around 6,000 people in Sweden suffer from sudden cardiac arrest every year, but only one tenth survive.
The study is published in the journal Lancet Digital Health.