AED delivery at night – Can drones do the Job? A feasibility study of unmanned aerial systems to transport automated external defibrillators during night-time. (April 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Scholz, Sean S.; Wähnert, Dirk; Jansen, Gerrit; Sauzet, Odile; Latka, Eugen; Rehberg, Sebastian; Thies, Karl-C.
• Is Part Of: Resuscitation. Volume 185(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-04
• Subjects: UAS -- UAV -- AED -- OHCA -- Drones -- CPR -- Cardiac Arrest -- Defibrillation -- Publicc Access Defibrillation -- PAD -- First Responder -- Community First Responder -- Citizen First Responder -- Smart Phone -- Automated External Defibrillator; AED Automatic External Defibrillators -- BVLOS Beyond Visual Line of Sight meaning that the UAS pilot had no direct visual contact with the UAV during the operation -- GCS Ground Control Station -- OHCA Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest -- PAD Public Access Defibrillation -- UAS Unmanned Aerial System (Drone, GCS, Communication) -- UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Drone); Resuscitation -- Periodicals; Resuscitation -- Periodicals; Réanimation -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 616.025
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2023.109734
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0300-9572

Abstract

Abstract: Background: In their recent guidelines the European Resuscitation Council have recommended the use of Unmanned Aerial systems (UAS) to overcome the notorious shortage of AED. Exploiting the full potential of airborne AED delivery would mandate 24 h UAS operability. However, current systems have not been evaluated for nighttime use. The primary goal of our study was to evaluate the feasibility of night-time AED delivery by UAS. The secondary goal was to obtain and compare operational and safety data of night versus day missions. Methods: We scheduled two (one day, one night) flights each to ten different locations to assess the feasibility of AED delivery by UAS during night-time. We also compared operational data (mission timings) and safety data (incidence of critical events) of night versus day missions. Results: All missions were completed without safety incident. The flights were performed automatically without pilot interventions, apart from manually choosing the landing site and correcting the descent. Flight distances ranged from 910 m to 6.960 m, corresponding mission times from alert to AED release between 3:48 min and 11:20 min. Night missions ( T ¯ m:night = 7:26 ± 2:29 min) did not take longer than day missions ( T ¯ m:day = 7:59 ± 2:27 min). Despite slightly inferior visibility of the target site, night landings ( T ¯ land:night = 64 ± 15 sec) were on average marginally quicker than day landings ( T ¯ land:day = 69 ± 11sec). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the feasibility of UAS supported AED delivery during nighttime. Operational and safety data indicate no major differences between day- and night-time use. Future research should focus on integration of drone technology into the chain of survival.