Kidney saved by drone

Kidney saved by drone

A donor kidney was delivered to surgeons in an American hospital by drone, during the first flight of its kind.

Many believe that unmanned aerial systems (UAS) offer enormous potential for the supply of medical products, with some drones already doing so in Africa.

The American flight needed a drone specially designed to maintain and monitor the organ.

It is hoped that this will pave the way for longer flights and solve safety problems with current transport methods.

The recipient, a 44-year-old man from Baltimore, had waited eight years for the transplant.
She said about the unusual delivery method: "All this is amazing. Years ago, it was not something you could think of.

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which handles organ transplants in the United States, nearly 114,000 people were on waiting lists in 2018, with 1.5% of organs not traveling to destination and almost 4% being delayed by two hours or more. .

"Delivering an organ from a donor to a patient is a sacred duty with many moving parts. It's essential to find ways to do this better, "said Joseph Scalea, badistant professor of surgery at the University of Maryland's School of Medicine (UMSOM) and one of the surgeons who performed the graft.

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"Thanks to the exceptional collaboration between surgeons, engineers, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), organ procurement specialists, pilots, nurses and, ultimately, the patient, we have made a breakthrough in the field of transplantation."

The three-mile ride required many new technologies, including a custom-made drone capable of supporting the extra weight of an organ, as well as on-board cameras and an organ tracking system, as well as communication and security systems for a flight over an urban plane. densely populated area.

It also had a parachute recovery system in case of aircraft failure.

"The pressure is strong, knowing that a person is waiting for this organ, but it's also a special privilege to be part of this crucial mission," said Matthew Scbadero, a member of the university-based engineering team. from Maryland.

Charlie Alexander, Executive Director of the Living Legacy of Maryland Foundation, a charity working to increase organ donation, said, "If we can prove that it works, we can envision much greater distances from the transportation of people. Unmanned bodies.

"It would minimize the number of pilots and flight time and solve security problems in our field."

BY: bbc.com