Researchers at the Caroline Institute conducted a study aimed at improving assistance with sudden cardiac arrest (OSS) by using drones equipped with automatic external defibrillators (AVD). The study found that in over half of the cases, the drones arrived at the scene three minutes earlier than traditional medical services. In many cases where the patient was at risk of a fatal outcome, the defibrillator delivered by the drone was able to prevent deterioration or death.
Andreas Classon, Associate Professor of the Center for Research of Cardiac Arrest at the Caroline Institute, led the project and emphasized the importance of AVD in saving lives. Since the summer of 2020, researchers have been using drones with AVD and have found that the drones can arrive at the scene earlier than an ambulance in some cases, allowing the AVD to be used immediately.
OSS is a potentially fatal medical condition that occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating. It can be caused by a heart attack, arrhythmia, or other heart diseases. Immediate intervention is required to save lives.
Defibrillation is a key intervention in OSS, which involves delivering a therapeutic dose of electric energy to restore normal heart rhythm. AVD is commonly used in public places, houses, and hospitals, so delivering them to the scene of a heart arrest is of vital importance.
In the summer of 2022, the Caroline Institute tested the concept of simultaneous deployment of a drone with AVD and an ambulance to reduce the time to defibrillation. The project was conducted in collaboration with Westra-Hutaland, SOS Alarm, and the drone operator Everdrone. The study covered approximately 200,000 people in the west of Sweden, and initial results showed that the concept is both feasible and safe.
The drones were used to deliver AVD in 55 cases of suspected OSS. In 37 of these cases, the drone arrived before the ambulance, resulting in a 67% success rate with a median lead time of 3 minutes and 14 seconds.
Classon stated that the study confirms the possibility of delivering AVD using drones, allowing for earlier intervention compared to the arrival of an ambulance. The time saved enables emergency medical services to provide instructions to the caller, retrieve and use the AVD until the ambulance arrives.