Delivery of Automated External Defibrillators (AED) by Drones: Implications for Emergency Cardiac Care

Purpose of Review Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a significant health problem in the USA and only 8.6% of victims survive with good neurological function, despite advances in emergency cardiac care. The likelihood of OHCA survival decreases by 10% for every minute without resuscitation. Recent Findings Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) have the potential to save lives yet public access defibrillators are underutilized (< 2% of the time) because they are difficult to locate and rarely available in homes or residential areas, where the majority (70%) of OHCA occur. Even when AEDs are within close proximity (within 100 m), they are not used 40% of the time. Summary Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, have the potential to deliver AEDs to a bystander and augment emergency medical service (EMS) care. We review the use of drones in medicine, what is currently known, and clinical implications for advancing emergency cardiac care.