Drone-Assisted AED Delivery in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Systematic Review of Response Time, Feasibility, and Cost-Effectiveness

Salman Ghazi Al-Faridi; Saqer Tawfiq Saeed M; Ahmed Saleh Alghamdi; Aseel hasson alhasson; &rlm;Faisal Khashman Alosiml; &rlm;Zaid Kalaf T Alshammari; Hussain Mutreb H Alshammari; Sultan Mesfer Faraj Alsahmah; Fawaz nasser dhaifallah Alotaibi; Salman Ghazi Al-Faridi; Osama Mohammed Aloufi; Tawfiq Saeed M Saqer; Tariq Abdulaziz Al-Falih; Awadh Awaadh Alotaibi

doi:10.25163/angiotherapy.8910271

Integrative Biomedical Research | Online ISSN 2207-872X

REVIEWS (Open Access)

Drone-Assisted AED Delivery in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Systematic Review of Response Time, Feasibility, and Cost-Effectiveness

Salman Ghazi Al-Faridi ¹*, Saqer Tawfiq Saeed M ¹, Ahmed Saleh Alghamdi ¹, Aseel hasson alhasson ¹, ‏Faisal Khashman Alosiml ¹, ‏Zaid Kalaf T Alshammari ¹, Hussain Mutreb H Alshammari ¹, Sultan Mesfer Faraj Alsahmah ¹, Fawaz nasser dhaifallah Alotaibi ¹, Salman Ghazi Al-Faridi ¹, Osama Mohammed Aloufi ¹, Tawfiq Saeed M Saqer ¹, Tariq Abdulaziz Al-Falih ¹, Awadh Awaadh Alotaibi ¹

+ Author Affiliations

Integrative Biomedical Research 8 (9) 1-7 https://doi.org/10.25163/angiotherapy.8910271

Submitted: 01 July 2024 Revised: 13 September 2024 Published: 15 September 2024

Abstract

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is an important health problem, as survival tends to be low because defibrillation happens too late in many cases. Drones carrying Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) can be a new method to improve PAD by cutting down on response times. This review summarizes findings from 26 studies included up to 2023, downloaded from Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, PsycINFO, and Scopus. It was found that using drones to deliver AEDs was often faster than standard ambulance service, with drones reaching the site before the medical team 64% of the time and being there 1:52 minutes sooner on average. In cities, regulations and environmental issues prevent benefits from being obvious. Better placement of drone bases can boost coverage by almost 90.3%, and drone networks are more cost-effective because each quality-adjusted life year costs less than standard limits. Still, weather, authorities, and the lack of understanding bystanders have about AEDs call for special improvements. Experts suggest using practical tests, teaching people about drones well, relaxing regulations, and making technological progress to ensure that drones are more reliable. Drone technology can change the way OHCA is handled, but overcoming obstacles is required for more widespread operation.

Keywords: Cardiac arrest, drone delivery, an automated external defibrillator, public access defibrillation, emergency medical services.

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