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Organ transplants are serious business. Not only is the waiting list long, but the logistics behind this life-saving process often save many patients with delays and complications. Every second counts and organs that arrive at the hour can make the difference between a patient surviving a day longer and several years. Medical researchers are continuing their efforts to develop new ways to safely transport organs when needed.
Well, transplant patients may have found their logistic response in an unlikely place: aerial drones. Unlike ambulance transport, UAVs can avoid traffic and obstacles during the flight, and also allow hospital staff to remotely monitor the status and temperature of their valuable cargo.
For the first time in history, Maryland researchers have successfully transported a kidney to a transplant recipient with the help of an aerial drone. This breakthrough could potentially extend and save countless lives, and doctors hope this will open the door to even more innovations in the medical field.
Why are drones superior for organ transport?
Traditionally, transplant patients waiting for an organ offsite have to use ambulances to deliver them. Here's the tricky part: The available organ pool is small and many of them are not near the hospitals where patients stay. This means that the transport of organs can sometimes take several hours or even days on certain occasions.
A drone, on the other hand, is able to fly over traffic, eliminating many obstacles and pitfalls faced by paramedics.
UAVs can be equipped with sensors that monitor the condition of the body, and the hospital staff directly controls the flight and trajectory of the vehicle. This not only saves time on delivery, but also frees ambulance drivers, who can now focus on emergencies.
How did a drone give a kidney to a patient?
The drone delivery project was designed by Dr. Joseph R. Scalea, who works with transplant patients at the University of Maryland, near Baltimore.
According to Dr. Scalea, some organ deliveries can delay essential components for long periods. One incident in particular required 29 hours for a hospital to receive an organ, prompting Dr. Scalea to seek new transportation between doctors and hospitals.
The first body in the world to be powered by a drone was a 10-minute flight over 4.8 km of land outside of Baltimore.
Surprisingly, this flight was their first attempt with a real organ and saved the life of a nursing assistant who needed a new kidney as soon as possible. The drone had already been the subject of test flights and analyzes. Success in these areas allows hospital staff to use them wisely.
The future of organ transplants?
The success of drone delivery by Dr. Scalea opens endless possibilities for doctors and patients waiting for an organ transplant.
With the speed with which biological tissues degrade, viable organs are often disqualified for patients because of distance and travel time. Not all patients can afford to go where their potential organ is, and ambulances are already extremely expensive for families of transplant patients.
Airborne drone travel will reduce the time and distance between hospitals and allow the small pool of available organs to grow for patients across the country.
As drones become more sophisticated, standalone air delivery will become more commonplace for consumers and patients alike. Not only could your Amazon packages come from drones, but your medical supplies could also arrive by plane. Sky is the limit!
Guess which company beat Amazon up to heaven?
Remember when we thought that Amazon drones would fill the sky while delivering parcels? Amazon drones may someday dominate the skies, but for now, the first delivery UAVs you see are coming from Google. Read this article to find out how the FAA paved the way for Google's drone takeoff and what it means to you.
Tap or click here to find out how much impact Google drones will have on your life.
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