Drones might prove a feasible way to deliver lifesaving defibrillators to cardiac arrests in remote areas, a new research simulation suggests.
Delivering automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by drone could dramatically improve emergency response times in both urban and rural areas, according to findings to be presented Saturday and Sunday at an American Heart Association meeting, in Philadelphia.
The five-minute response time for AED arrival at a cardiac arrest improved from 24% to 77% for urban areas and 10% to 23% for rural areas, a computer simulation revealed.
"We were a bit surprised that the improvements appeared greater in the urban areas," said lead researcher Jamal Chu, a doctoral student at the University of Toronto.
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