Swedish UAV Manufacturer’s First Responder Drones Prove Critical in AED Deliveries, Slashing Response Times and Paving the Way for Future Innovations
by DRONELIFE Staff Author Ian J. McNabb
Everdrone, a Swedish manufacturer of first responder-use UAVs, recently announced the outcomes of a partnership with the The Center for Resuscitation Science at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden that resulted of their First On Scene program being validated by a study published in Lancet Digital Health.
Everdrone and the Center conducted the study (led by researcher Andreas Claesson) in Västra Götaland between April 21, 2021, to May 31, 2022, with the info gathered from 58 AED defibrillator deliveries. On December ninth, 2021, a 71-year-old man suffering an OHCA in Trollhättan, Sweden received lifesaving measures as a direct results of the delivery of an AED by an Everdrone UAV. The median time profit was 3:14, with a maximum advantage of over 8 minutes. Daniel Blecher, Head of Consumer Operations at Everdrone, said, “Time-sensitivity is a continuing factor that influences every little thing we do. Presently, our unofficial record number is 87 seconds from takeoff to delivery.” These benefits remained statistically significant even after adjusting for day/night operations, weather, and terrain.
“The info has been collected during an extended period, from a fantastic variety of incident reports, in a fancy environment. All of the while ‘competing’ against ambulance-based first responders”, explained Claesson. “The findings from the collected data are conclusive – two times out of three, 67% of the times, the drone arrived in good time before the ambulance.”
Blecher expanded on this theme of speed in future products, saying, “Excitingly, our next generation of drones, set to launch shortly, is poised to chop an extra 30% from our already exceptional response time. As the long run of emergency response soars to recent heights, Everdrone is undeniably on the helm of this transformative journey.”
Everdrone has operations in several countries across Europe, including a partnership with a charity organization in England focused on AED delivery and medical delivery services in Denmark. While further research is being done into the potential of drone medical services, the growing awareness of the potential of first responder UAVs from the medical industry shows its effectiveness in reducing response times.
More details about Everdrone is out there here.