Cardiac arrest & resuscitation
Drones can be used to provide dispatch centres with on-site photos before arrival of emergency medical services (EMS) in time critical incidents
Authors' conclusion
In a newly implemented drone dispatch service, drones were dispatched to 13% of relevant EMS calls. When drones were dispatched, they arrived at scene earlier than EMS services in 90% of cases. Drones were able to relay photos to the dispatch centre in all cases.
Study context
- Population
- Emergency calls for suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), traffic accidents and fires in buildings; area of ≈200,000 inhabitants, Sweden, December 2022–April 202359 drone deployments
- Participants
- 440 participants
- Exposure
- Drone vs EMS arrival at time-critical incidents
- Dronen = 59
- Outcome
- Feasibility of providing on-site photos in real time and time delay intervals
Methodological details5 AED-drone systems, regional dispatch centre, Sweden
- 5 AED-drone systems
- Regional dispatch centre, Sweden
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Feasibility of drone deployment and photo transmission
| Group | Value | Deployed: suspected OHCA | Deployed: traffic accidents | Deployed: fires in buildings | Arrived safely at exact location | Arrived first on scene | Photos transmitted correctly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drone | 13% | 26/59 (44%) | 20/59 (34%) | 13/59 (22%) | 58/59 cases (98%) | 47/52 cases (90%) | all 59 alerts |
Drone
Value13%
Deployed: suspected OHCA26/59 (44%)
Deployed: traffic accidents20/59 (34%)
Deployed: fires in buildings13/59 (22%)
Arrived safely at exact location58/59 cases (98%)
Arrived first on scene47/52 cases (90%)
Photos transmitted correctlyall 59 alerts
- Main reasons for non-deployment: closed airspace and unfavourable weather
- 68%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Drone | EMS | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Response time | median 3:49 (IQR 3:18-4:26) min | median 05:51 (IQR 04:29-08:04) | p-value for time difference between drone and EMS = 0,05 |
- Response time — Largest median time difference in suspected OHCAs
- 4:10 min, (IQR: 02:57-05:28)
- Response time — Time difference when EMS arrived first (5/52 [10%] cases)
- 5:18 min (IQR 2:19-7:38), p = NA
Safety
- No adverse events occurred
Original publication
Drones can be used to provide dispatch centres with on-site photos before arrival of EMS in time critical incidents. Resuscitation. Published 10 July 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →