TROLLHATTAN, Sweden — An autonomous drone helped save a Swedish man’s life on Dec. 9, Newsweek reported.
The drone delivered an automated external defibrillator to a doctor who was treating a 71-year-old man who started having cardiac arrest symptoms as he was shoveling snow outside his home.
"I was on my way to work at the local hospital when I looked out the car window and saw a man collapsed in his driveway. I immediately understood that something was wrong and rushed to help. The man had no pulse, so I started doing CPR while asking another bystander to call 112 [the emergency number for Sweden]” said Dr. Mustafa Ali.
"Just minutes later, I saw something flying above my head. It was a drone with a defibrillator!"
The defibrillator reportedly arrived in just over three minutes, and Ali performed life-saving measures before an ambulance could arrive.
The patient, who does not want to be identified, has made a full recovery.
“I can't put into words how thankful I am to this new technology and the speedy delivery of the defibrillator. If it wasn't for the drone I probably wouldn't be here,” he said.
Sudden cardiac arrest can be treated and reversed, but emergency action must take place immediately. Survival can be as high as 90 percent if treatment is initiated within the first minutes after sudden cardiac arrest. The rate decreases by about 10 percent each minute longer. Having quick access to an AED is crucial to saving the life of a cardiac arrest patient.
To learn more about AEDs please contact AED Market at 1-800-441-8378.