The blood samples were transported by plane between two facilities in Northumberland, a journey that took just over an hour and saved seven minutes compared to the longer journey by road.
Los blood suppliesare transported by drone from one hospital to another, in a trial that the company responsible for the project hopes will extend to the entire country. Ten identical blood packets traveled the 68 km that separate Wansbeck hospital from Alnwick hospital and vice versa, both hospitals of the British National Health System (NHS).
Half were transported by drones that They flew at more than 100 km/hand the other five by road.
The researchers found that the quality of the transported blood was not affectedand laboratory results showed no noticeable differences in blood cell damage or changes in potassium levels.
The test flight could offer the solution to deliver vital blood to hospitals quickly and easily.
Hammad Jeilani, co-founder of the logistics company Apian, in charge of the tests, says that The results so far have been positive..
“In this particular trial we transported ten packets of red blood cells with blood and transplants from the NHS and we carry ten identical packages and, basically, we analyze them in the laboratory and verify that there was no difference between the packageswhich means that drone delivery is a safe transportation method“he explains.
In the UK About 5,000 bags of blood are needed every day for transfusions and operationsbut donors and patients are often miles apart.
Rwanda It has been distributing blood with drones in mountainous regions for eight years, and in the United States and Canada organs have been delivered for transplants by air.
The aim of the trials is to obtain approval to use drone transport in the United Kingdom.
Dr Lise Estcourt, a consultant haematologist at the NHS, says drone transport could also be very beneficial in large urban areas.
“It could be a breakthrough to transport blood in areas that are difficult to pass through. For example, in central London, with so much traffic, using a drone would be much faster,” he explains.
Apian was founded in 2020 by two National Health Service doctors (NHS) and a former Google Health entrepreneur, and has its roots in the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs Programme, of which two of its founders were graduates.
The company’s objective is to find Innovative ways to facilitate deliveries to hospitals and clinicsand their website asks: “If a patient can receive a pizza in 30 minutes, why should they wait days for their lab test results or medication?”
Although drone tests have been well received, Its large-scale deployment would have to be approved by the Civil Aviation Authority.
It is interesting to see how technology can also be used beyond wars with good purposes.
