FAA/FACEBOOK
only the location but also the status of that organ, and ensuring its arrival at what time and in what condition, is advantageous for transplant,” says Scalea. “Because every minute that goes by, there is some degree of organ damage that occurs.”
DELIVERING MEDICAL SUPPLIES During the pandemic, some pharmacies and hospitals began experimenting with drones to deliver things like COVID-19 tests and prescriptions as demand for contactless delivery grew. Now, the number and scope
of drone-delivery projects is expanding. Mass General Brigham in Boston
is working with drone operator Draganfly to test the safety and effectiveness of a medical drone- delivery program, says Dr. David Levine, clinical director of research and development for Mass General Brigham’s Healthcare at Home. The hospital sees drones as a
way to enhance its at-home care programs, where patients receive hospital-level care in their own homes. Levine says the drone program is
still in the proof-of-concept phase, but he sees a range of potential use cases for the technology, including urgent and on-demand delivery of advanced medical supplies. These could include IV
medications, automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and collection of blood and urine samples that cannot be analyzed at home. Someday drones equipped with
specialized equipment might even play a role in evaluating patients, helping a remote doctor determine whether a home-hospital patient needs to come to the emergency room. “If someone, say, is short of
breath, we could send a drone out to do an evaluation in your home,” says Levine. Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and drone operator Zipline are
As we get better at [drone prescription deliveries], we’ll see
more and more use cases come out.” — Geoff Gates, Cleveland Clinic
developing a drone service for prescription deliveries. The service is expected to roll out later this year. The advantages, says Geoff Gates,
senior director of supply-chain management at Cleveland Clinic, include giving patients a specific arrival time for their medications and getting medications to patients faster. “As we get better at it, we’ll see
more and more use cases come out,” Gates says. In Winston-Salem, North
Carolina, meanwhile, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist is using drones to fly specimens taken during examinations to its citywide network of clinics, pharmacies, and labs. In 2021, it used drones to transport COVID-19 vaccines.
IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY Public-safety officials also are experimenting with drones for fast delivery of lifesaving medical equipment, such as automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). A Swedish study published in
the Lancet in 2023 found that AED- equipped drones arrived at the scene of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest as many as three minutes before an ambulance two-thirds of the time. Still, it isn’t clear how effective drone deliveries of AEDs would
actually be, because someone has to be on hand who can use them. To get a clearer picture, Tampa
General Hospital in Florida has joined forces with Manatee County and drone operator Archer First Responder Systems (AFRS) to integrate drones equipped with AEDs, Narcan spray, and tourniquets into the county’s 911 emergency- response network. Under the program, which
launched in May 2024, 911 dispatchers have the option of sending a drone to the scene of an emergency in a coverage area consisting of about 7 square miles, says Gordon Folkes, founder and CEO of AFRS. He says the drone can arrive
in two-and-a-half to five minutes from the time it is dispatched to touchdown at the scene. So far, there have been no drone
flights because of the limited coverage area and because the drones are only permitted to fly during the daytime, officials say. But Folkes says AFRS and county
officials are preparing to expand drone coverage to about 35 square miles and eventually 24/7 operations. “We’re still waiting for the first
save,” says Bill Logan, a spokesman for Manatee County. “When that happens, it’s going to be a big deal for sure.” — The Wall Street Journal
MAY 2025 | NEWSMAX MAXLIFE 77
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