Air heart: Flirtey launches first drone defibrillator service in U.S.

U.S. drone delivery is expanding from Slurpees and pizza.

Drone delivery service Flirtey announced on Tuesday that it is partnering with a Reno-based ambulance service to send out emergency equipment by air for cardiac arrest-related emergencies.

The partnership with Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority will allow responders to send an automated external defibrillator by air in addition to an ambulance dispatch for every emergency call involving cardiac arrest. The program uses a rapid drone deployment program that combines Flirtey's flight planning software technology with REMSA's patient care and transport programs.

The goal is to help improve response times, especially in locations where traffic can slow down the arrival of paramedics on the scene.

“We have the ability to deliver lifesaving aid into the hands of people who need it — why aren't we as a society doing it already?” Flirtey CEO Matthew Sweeny said. “This is one of the most important uses of drone delivery technology, and we believe that by democratizing access to this lifesaving aid, our technology will save more than a million lives over the decades to come.”

Every minute literally counts in increasing the odds of survival for a person experiencing cardiac arrest. The chance of survival drops between 7 percent to 10 percent for each minute that a cardiac arrest victim does not get CPR or defibrillation, according to the American Heart Association. An estimated 359,400 cases of cardiac arrest occur in the United States outside of a hospital setting each year. Less than 10 percent of such victims survive, according to the AHA.

“Cardiac arrest occurs when the electrical activity of the heart stops,” said J.W. Hodge, REMSA chief operating officer. “Someone in cardiac arrest will be unresponsive with no pulse, no breathing, no movement at all.”

“They’re technically clinically dead,” Hodge added.

Cardiac arrest is the leading cause of natural death in the U.S., Hodge said. Hodge also noted that cardiac arrest is different from a heart attack, where a person is feeling chest pains, sweating, nausea and heaviness in the arms.

The joint delivery program will allow a person on the scene to use the defibrillator on the person suffering cardiac arrest before paramedics arrive. The equipment used for the program is designed to be used by anyone, including those without a healthcare or emergency background, Hodge said. Additional guidance on using the defibrillator and providing assistance to the patient also will be provided by 911 operators.

Hodge says REMSA has been working with Flirtey to develop the program for months after the drone delivery company approached the ambulance service about it.

“We determined that with their technology and our health background and communications center, we could figure out how to deliver AEDs to patients … and help save lives,” Hodge said.

The joint initiative between Flirtey and REMSA is part of a growing trend that incorporates drone use in everyday life as well as business. Online retail giant Amazon continues to invest in its Prime Air program, for example. Amazon is testing various drone types and configurations, aiming to eventually deliver packages of up to 5 pounds within 30 minutes to its customers. In a sign of the growing acceptance of drones, the Reno Air Races has added drone racing to its annual air show event.

Increased drone traffic is becoming an increasingly hot-button issue when it comes to air safety. As hobby drones with sophisticated features such as cameras become more widely accepted, reports of near-collisions between drones and helicopters or planes are increasing as well.

The University of Nevada, Reno’s NUANCE Lab and NASA are currently working together on a system for managing drone traffic in anticipation of increased drone activity in the near future. Nevada is one of six congressionally mandated drone testing sites selected by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Technobubble covers games, gadgets, technology and all things geek. Follow Technobubble poobah Jason Hidalgo’s shenanigans on Twitter @jasonhidalgo or his Tabiasobi Youtube channel.