Louise Kollander Jakobsen, Jannie Kristine Bang Gram, Anne Juul Grabmayr, Anders Højen, Carolina Malta Hansen, Martin Rostgaard-Knudsen, Andreas Claesson, Fredrik Folke
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Aim: To assess the feasibility and safety of drone-delivered automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in real out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) in Denmark, addressing the critical need for timely defibrillation in OHCAs.
Methods: In this prospective clinical study in Aalborg, Denmark, an AED-carrying drone was dispatched for suspected OHCAs, from June 2022 to April 2023. The drone was stationed in an urban area (maximum flight-radius 6 km, covering 110,000 inhabitants) within designated airspace not requiring preflight approval from air-traffic control. Upon OHCA-suspicion, the emergency medical dispatcher activated the drone, which autonomously took off and flew beyond-visual-line-of-sight to the OHCA-location. On-site, a remote drone pilot (stationed cross-border) winched down the AED near the patient's location. Flights were restricted to dry weather, mean windspeeds <8 m/s, and 8 am to 10 pm.
Results: Of 76 suspected OHCAs, 27 occurred during non-operating hours (nighttime). Of the remaining 49 OHCAs, 16 (33%) were eligible for drone take-off, all of which resulted in successful AED-delivery, without any adverse events. Weather caused 14 cancellations (29%), technical issues (dispatch centre, drone, or hangar problems) 13 (27%), and closed airspace 6 (12%). The median drone response time from activation to AED-delivery was 04:47 minutes (IQR 03:45 - 05:27), and the corresponding ambulance response time was 03:25 minutes (IQR 02:43 - 04:14). No drone-delivered AEDs were attached.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates the safety and feasibility of drone-delivered AEDs to real OHCAs. Improved time to AED delivery was limited due to swift ambulance service, highlighting the importance of strategic AED drone placement.
期刊介绍：
Resuscitation is a monthly international and interdisciplinary medical journal. The papers published deal with the aetiology, pathophysiology and prevention of cardiac arrest, resuscitation training, clinical resuscitation, and experimental resuscitation research, although papers relating to animal studies will be published only if they are of exceptional interest and related directly to clinical cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Papers relating to trauma are published occasionally but the majority of these concern traumatic cardiac arrest.
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