Flying drones with defibrillators to help cardiac arrest patients is faster than ambulances in two out of three cases, a new Swedish study found.
Drones were used in 72 out of 211 cases of suspected cardiac arrests during the study period. Of these, a defibrillator was safely delivered in 58 cases
In 25% of the cases, the drone was almost eight minutes faster. Of the 37 cases, 18 were true out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, and bystanders attached the defibrillators to 6 of those patients.
Automated external defibrillators (AED) are proven to increase chances of survival in cases of cardiac arrest by allowing bystanders to intervene and deliver treatment before paramedics arrive on the scene
While emergency services and CFR groups must be properly resourced, drone delivery of defibrillators should be explored as a further additional measure.