Drone Networks Could Dramatically Improve Defibrillator Access for Cardiac Arrest Victims, Research Finds

Drones could significantly reduce the time required to deliver defibrillators to patients suffering out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, according to new research.

In the United Kingdom alone, emergency medical services attempt resuscitation for more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually, yet fewer than one in ten patients survive, according to the British Heart Foundation. Survivors often face neurological complications. Rapid treatment is critical: every minute without CPR and defibrillation decreases the likelihood of survival by approximately 10%.

“Our objective as EMS organisations and physicians is to ensure cardiac arrest patients receive defibrillation as early as possible,” said Matthieu Heidet, professor of emergency medicine at Henri-Mondor University Hospital in Créteil, France. Research by Heidet and his colleagues indicates that drone deployment could substantially expand access to these life-saving devices.

To assess this potential, the team analysed the locations of 28,349 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring between 2011 and 2024 across administrative districts in the Greater Paris area, excluding central Paris. They cross-referenced these incidents with the positions of 1,893 fixed automated external defibrillators (AEDs), finding accessibility varied considerably.

“Only 30% of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases occurred within the target 500-metre network distance of the nearest recorded fixed AED,” said Dr Hillary Minka, an emergency physician at Lariboisière Hospital in Paris and the study’s lead author. Achieving 84.5% coverage would require an additional 910 fixed AEDs, while full coverage would demand 1,712 more.

However, integrating drones operating within a 3,900-metre radius could achieve similar coverage with far fewer devices. “As drone bases were introduced, the number of additional fixed AEDs required fell substantially,” Minka noted. The model projected that 100 drone bases supplemented by just 26 additional fixed AEDs would place over 97% of cases within reach of a defibrillator—either 500 metres from a fixed unit or roughly 4 km (2.5 miles) from a drone base. With 200 drone bases and only four extra AEDs, coverage would exceed 99%.

The researchers also evaluated how many existing cardiac arrest cases were close enough to a fixed AED for a bystander to retrieve it and return within five minutes via the ground transportation network. Only 30–40% of cases met this threshold.

Heidet cautioned that even this figure is optimistic. “In France, only 8% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients benefit from the application of a public AED before emergency services arrive,” he said, explaining that many AEDs are housed in private buildings inaccessible outside business hours.

By contrast, Minka reported that a scenario involving 200 drone bases, 871 existing fixed AED sites, and four additional fixed sites would enable drone delivery to virtually all modelled cardiac arrest cases within five minutes.

The models assumed drones would be stationed at locations ranging from current AED sites to fire stations and mobile intensive care units; they did not test real-world deployment. Heidet noted that drone delivery of AEDs is already operational in parts of Sweden and has saved lives.

In active systems, trained pilots operate the drones. “Once an emergency call is received and an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is identified at the dispatch centre, the drone is activated by EMS dispatchers,” Heidet explained. “It then takes off and follows an automated flight path, while the final approach and subsequent AED delivery are handled by the drone pilot. The entire process is conducted under the supervision of the emergency medical service.” Once delivered, the AED can be used by bystanders at the scene.

Heidet added that the cost of drone infrastructure must be weighed against clinical benefits, noting a potential trade-off between the ideal operational model and economic feasibility.

The study, which has not yet undergone peer review, is scheduled for presentation at the European Emergency Medicine Congress in Paris on Saturday.

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