Using drones to deliver defibrillators in cardiac emergencies could “save lives,” a Fine Gael Senator has claimed.
Senator Seán Kyne, who is on the Oireachtas Health Committee, made the remarks in the wake of a project in Sweden which seemed to show that drones had faster response times than ambulances.
“Every day the men and women of our ambulance service save lives across Ireland,” he said.
“However, our geography means homes and communities are spread out across the country which can make responding to emergencies more challenging.
“Automated external defibrillators (AED) are proven to increase chances of survival in cases of cardiac arrest by allowing bystanders to intervene and deliver treatment before paramedics arrive on the scene.”
However, the Senator said that outside of hospitals, most heart attacks happen at home, which can be a “considerable distance” from the nearest defibrillator in some cases.
“Although AEDs have already been deployed in many public spaces around the country, according to the National Ambulance Service, the majority of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Ireland happen within the home (69%) – often a considerable distance from the nearest AED point,” he said.
He added that a recent project in Sweden indicated that drones provided a more timely solution.
“A recent project undertaken in Sweden provides a viable solution to that problem – using drones to deliver defibrillators to homes while patients wait for paramedics to arrive,” he said.
“Emergency services in Gothenburg, Sweden, worked with a drone operator and university researchers to dispatch defibrillators to 72 out of 211 cases of suspected cardiac arrests over the course of an 11-month period.
“The drones arrived on average in just over 3 minutes, outplacing ambulances in two out of every three emergencies.”
He said that while ambulance services should be expanded to meet demand, drone services could be used in addition to these measures to supplement traditional emergency care methods.
“In cases of heart attack or cardiac arrest, every second counts,” he said.
“Currently, the national ambulance service aims to arrive in less than 19 minutes in at least 80 per cent of life-threatening incidents.
“While we must always ensure our emergency services and paramedics are properly resourced with enough vehicles and bases across the country and backed up by air ambulances, drone delivery of defibrillators should be explored as a further additional measure.
“This innovative use of technology could buy crucial time while emergency services are en route. By working together, as in the trial project in Sweden, we could save lives.”