Delivery of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) by Drones: Implications for Emergency Cardiac Care

摘要

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a significant health problem in the USA and only 8.6 of victims survive with good neurological function, despite advances in emergency cardiac care. The likelihood of OHCA survival decreases by 10 for every minute without resuscitation. Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) have the potential to save lives yet public access defibrillators are underutilized (< 2 of the time) because they are difficult to locate and rarely available in homes or residential areas, where the majority (70) of OHCA occur. Even when AEDs are within close proximity (within 100 m), they are not used 40 of the time. Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have the potential to deliver AEDs to a bystander and augment emergency medical service (EMS) care. We review the use of drones in medicine, what is currently known, and clinical implications for advancing emergency cardiac care.