The Center for Resuscitation science at Karolinska Institutet, in collaboration with Duke University, USA, participated in a research exchange on the use of drones as first responders in cases of cardiac arrest. During a symposium in Gothenburg, researchers and emergency services from both Sweden and the US shared their experiences and discussed future possibilities to improve prehospital rescue systems using drone technology.
Annually, approximately 6,000 people in Sweden suffer from sudden unexpected cardiac arrest. According to the Swedish Cardiac Arrest Registry, only 12 % survived in 2022. The Center for Resuscitation science has tested the possibility of shortening the time to treatment with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and a defibrillator through various rescue systems in several research projects, including the placement of defibrillators at hotspots, alerting emergency services, and voluntary SMS lifesavers.
In 2014, a research project was initiated to explore the possibility of delivering defibrillators using unmanned drones in cases of suspected cardiac arrest. By using registry data from the Swedish Cardiac Arrest Registry and map models, optimal placements have been mapped. Through simulation, delivery methods and interaction during the alarm flow between the alarm operator and the caller have been designed. In June 2020, the dispatch of defibrillator-equipped drones began in the Gothenburg area, and by 2024, five systems are active. Results from studies have been published in renowned journals such as JAMA, The Lancet Digital Health, and The New England Journal of Medicine.
Research project in North Carolina
Monique Starks, cardiologist and associate professor at Duke University, has been involved in cardiac arrest research in North Carolina for several years. The group is the first in the US to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health as well as from the American Heart Association (AHA) to evaluate drones as defibrillator delivery systems.
As part of initiating the first American study on drones as defibrillator delivery systems, a research symposium was held in Gothenburg in September. In addition to researchers from Duke University, Timothy Chan, a professor of GIS modeling at the University of Toronto, medical directors for ambulance services, representatives from several police departments, James City Virginia, and Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, Forsyth County, also participated.
Drones as First Responders
To share experiences and find collaboration opportunities, a research symposium and study visit were organised in Gothenburg over two days. From the Region Västra Götaland with the medical emergency center (SvLc), Carl Aminoff and Per Örninge presented their operations and experiences with drone dispatch.
"It is very exciting to discuss how this type of technology can create value in the alarm chain and share how thoughts are going here in Sweden versus the US and how we can jointly benefit from each other," says Magnus Kristiansson, innovation leader at the Innovation Platform VGR and PhD student at the Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet.
Magnus Kristiansson presented his ongoing research on the possibilities of utilizing live-stream video from drones at the scene to the alarm center as an additional part of what "Drones as First Responders" (DFR) can do in the future.
The drones active in the Region Västra Götaland have the potential to perform more tasks where video transmission from the scene in the first minutes of a serious incident such as a traffic accident, fire, or cardiac arrest has the potential to create situational awareness, identify dangers for advancing units, and optimize the number of dispatched resources.
The Police in the Western region presented their drone operations, and the delegation had the opportunity to visit the command center for drone surveillance at the police station in Gothenburg. The drone operator Everdrone conducted a highly appreciated demonstration of their drones and the regulatory framework applicable in 2024.
"This type of experience exchange between international research groups and emergency services is crucial for us to develop new, more effective prehospital rescue systems in the future," says Andreas Claesson, leading investigator for the drone project at the Center for Resuscitation science at the Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet.
The Center for Resuscitation science, together with the Region Västra Götaland, will test the possibility of using existing defibrillator drones to transmit high-resolution video from the scene to the alarm center in 2025.
