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Starting in September, if someone in Clemmons, North Carolina, calls 911 to report a cardiac arrest, the first responder on the scene may be a drone carrying an , or AED. “The idea is for the drone to get there several minutes before first responders,” such as an emergency medical technician or an ambulance, said Daniel Crews, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office in Forsyth County, where Clemmons is located. The sheriff’s office is partnering on the project with local emergency services, the Clinical Research Institute at Duke University, and the drone consulting firm Hovecon.
“The ultimate goal is to save lives and improve life expectancy for someone experiencing a cardiac episode,” Crews said. The is one of a growing number of efforts by public safety and health care organizations across the country to use drones to speed up lifesaving treatment in situations in which every second counts. More than have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting every year in the United States, according to the American Heart Association.
Most people are at home when it happens, and about 90% die because they don’t get immediate help from first responders or bystanders. Every minute that passes without medical intervention decreases the odds of survival by 10%. “We’ve never been able to move the needle for cardiac arrest in private settings, and this technology could meet that need,” said Monique Anderson.