Cardiac arrest & resuscitation
Semi-autonomous drone delivering automated external defibrillators for real out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A Danish feasibility study
Authors' conclusion
This study demonstrates the safety and feasibility of drone-delivered AEDs to real OHCAs.
Study context
- Population
- Suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs) in Aalborg, Denmark (urban area, 6 km flight radius, 110,000 inhabitants), June 2022 to April 2023
- Participants
- 76 suspected OHCAs
- Exposure
- Drone vs Ambulance
- Dronen = 16
- Outcome
- Feasibility and safety of drone-delivered AEDs
Methodological detailssingle-group, Flights restricted to dry weather, mean windspeeds < 8 m/s, and 8 am to 10 pm
- Single-group
- Flights restricted to dry weather, mean windspeeds < 8 m/s, and 8 am to 10 pm
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Feasibility: drone take-off and AED delivery
- OHCAs during non-operating hours (nighttime)
- 27
- Eligible for drone take-off, of remaining 49 OHCAs
- 16 (33%)
- Successful AED delivery among take-offs
- 16
- Cancellations due to weather
- 14 (29%)
- Cancellations due to technical issues (dispatch centre, drone, or hangar)
- 13 (27%)
- Cancellations due to closed airspace
- 6 (12%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
- Response time — Ambulance
- median 03:25 (IQR 02:43-04:14) min
- Response time: Drone (activation to AED delivery) median 04:47 (IQR 03:45-05:27) min
Drone-delivered automated external defibrillators (AEDs) attached
- No drone-delivered AEDs attached
Safety
Adverse events during drone AED delivery
- All 16 eligible take-offs resulted in successful AED-delivery without any adverse events
Original publication
Semi-autonomous drone delivering automated external defibrillators for real out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A Danish feasibility study. Resuscitation. Published 15 February 2025. doi:10.
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