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| Drone saves heart attack patient in Sweden |
For the first time in medical history, drones play an important role in saving lives in cardiac arrest. This world-class feat occurred in Trollhättan, Sweden, in December 2021, when an autonomous drone from Everdrone gave birth to a 71-year-old man with a life-saving pacemaker.
The recovering patient said: “This is a revolutionary technology that should be used everywhere. I cannot express my gratitude for this new technology and the immediate delivery of the defibrillator. I may not be here without drones.”
A heart attack can affect anyone, not just the elderly with atherosclerosis. People who have had a heart attack need help within 10 minutes to survive.
Everdrone's Emergency Medical Airlift is designed to provide assistance as soon as possible as it allows dispatchers to send drones with equipment to the caller's home and begin the rescue operation before the ambulance arrives home.
For this particular patient, it took three minutes for the defibrillator to be delivered to his home. A bystander happened that a doctor was on his way to work and put an automatic external defibrillator on the patient after CPR.
Drones save lives of cardiac arrest patients
The drone was developed in cooperation with the Center for Resuscitation Sciences of the Karolinska Institutet, the SOS Alert System and the West Götaland region.
Mats Saleström, CEO of Everdrone, said, “This is a true example of how Everdrone's advanced drone technology, combined with emergency dispatch, can reduce the use of defibrillators.
EMS has received 14 heart attack alerts that drones can use. In a four-month pilot study.
The drone took off in 12 cases and defibrillators were successfully delivered in 11 cases. Seven defibrillators were delivered before the ambulance arrived.
In Europe, about 275,000 patients suffer cardiac arrest each year, and approximately 70% of cardiac arrests occur at home without a pacemaker. The survival rate is about 10%.
Currently, emergency medical air transport can cover 200,000 Swedish residents. The company plans to expand to additional locations in Europe this year.