DDC completes phase one of drone-borne AED
Drone technology company Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) has announced its successful completion of phase one of its automated external defibrillator (AED) on the Fly Pilot research program alongside Peel Region paramedics.
DDC achieved a 100-per-cent success rate in its pilot test, finding that the drone produced a faster response time than a traditional ambulance when delivering the AED.
The company outlined in a press release that the pilot helped determine the effectiveness of delivery of an AED via drone versus a traditional ambulance. Phase one of the pilot consisted of simulating 911 emergency calls in Caledon Township in the Peel Region, dispatching DDC’s Sparrow drone equipped with specialized first responder payload that included an automated external defibrillator. The delivery time of the drone was then compared against the traditional dispatching of first responder paramedics. Several staged 911 calls were then executed and, in all cases, DDC’s Sparrow drone arrived on-site ahead of the traditional first responder vehicles. DDC’s Sparrow was able to reduce response times on all calls, making the pilot a great success.
Dr Sheldon Cheskes, Medical Director at Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Medicine and the Principal Investigator of the AED on the Fly Pilot Research program, commented: “Phase 1 of our research was an impressive success. We were able to demonstrate that drone technology to deliver AED’s for cardiac arrest is not only feasible but has the potential to reduce response times and improve outcomes from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. We will continue to work with DDC to ensure a simple and smooth transition from drone landing to bystander retrieval and use of an AED moving forward.”