Claesson A, Svensson L, Nordberg P, Ringh M, Rosenqvist M, Djarv T, Samuelsson J, Hernborg O, Dahlbom P, Jansson A, Hollenberg J. Resuscitation 2017; 114: 152-156.
Affiliation
Karolinska Institutet, department of medicine, center for resuscitation science, Stockholm, Sweden.
BACKGROUND: Drowning leading to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and death is a major public health concern. Submersion with duration of less than 10minutes is associated with favourable neurological outcome and nearby bystanders play a considerable role in rescue and resuscitation. Drones can provide a visual overview of an accident scene, their potential as lifesaving tools in drowning has not been evaluated.
AIM: The aim of this simulation study was to evaluate the efficiency of a drone for providing earlier location of a submerged possible drowning victim in comparison with standard procedure.
METHOD: This randomized simulation study used a submerged manikin placed in a shallow (<2 meters) 100×100-meter area at Tylösand beach, Sweden. A search party of 14 surf-lifeguards (control) was compared to a drone transmitting video to a tablet (intervention). Time from start to contact with the manikin was the primary endpoint.
RESULTS: Twenty searches were performed in total, 10 for each group. The median time from start to contact with the manikin was 4:34minutes (IQR 2:56-7:48) for the search party (control) and 0:47minutes (IQR 0:38-0:58) for the drone-system (intervention) respectively (p<0.001). The median time saved by using the drone was 3:38minutes (IQR 2:02- 6:38).
CONCLUSION: A drone transmitting live video to a tablet is feasible, time saving in comparison to traditional search parties and may be used for providing earlier location of submerged victims at a beach. Drone search can possibly contribute to earlier onset of CPR in drowning victims.