Page 36 - JSOM Winter 2018

Use of Drone Technology for Delivery of Medical Supplies
During Prolonged Field Care

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Tomaz Mesar, MD ; Aaron Lessig ; David R. King, MD *
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ABSTRACT
Background: Care of trauma casualties in an austere environ- of resources, security threats to the force, and variable evacu-
ment presents many challenges, particularly when evacuation ation times. As the Global War on Terror continues to evolve,
is not immediately available. Man-packable medical supplies warfighters may find themselves in prolonged field care (PFC)
may be consumed by a single casualty, and resupply may not be scenarios as military infrastructure continues to draw down in
possible before evacuation, particularly during prolonged field areas of conflict. Medical supplies can be rapidly consumed
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care scenarios. We hypothesized that unmanned aerial drones by a single casualty and resupply may be limited or entirely
could successfully deliver life-sustaining medical supplies to a unavailable due to risk to airframe or personnel loss required
remote, denied environment where vehicle or foot traffic is im- to execute the resupply. Indeed, the same risks that make evac-
possible or impractical. Methods: Using an unmanned, rota- uation impossible on a target may be the same risks that pre-
ry-wing drone, we simulated delivery of a customizable, 4.5kg vent manned airframe resupply.
load of medical equipment, including tourniquets, dressings,
analgesics, and blood products. A simulated casualty was po- A drone, also known as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), is
sitioned in a remote area. The flight was preprogrammed on conventionally defined as an aircraft without a human pilot
the basis of grid coordinates and flew on autopilot beyond vi- aboard. Drones originally were developed for military pur-
sual range; data (altitude, flight time, route) were recorded live poses and their use now is rapidly expanding into the non-
by high-altitude Shadow drone. Delivery time was compared military and noncombat environments. Healthcare can be
to the known US military standards for traversing uneven expected to be the next logical sector to embrace this technol-
topography by foot or wheeled vehicle. Results: Four flights ogy, given its great flexibility. UAVs have just recently been in-
were performed. Data are given as mean (± standard devia- vestigated for transportation of laboratory specimens between
tion). Time from launch to delivery was 20.77 ± 0.05 minutes remote medical institutions and, more recently, UAVs have
(cruise speed, 34.03 ± 0.15 km/h; mean range, 12.27 ± 0.07 been studied for delivery of automated external defibrillators
km). Medical supplies were delivered successfully within 1m in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. 2,3
of the target. The drone successfully returned to the starting
point every flight. Resupply by foot would take 5.1 hours with In this proof-of-concept study, we explored the feasibility of
an average speed of 2.4km/h and 61.35 minutes, with an av- using a UAV as a system to deliver medical supplies in a sim-
erage speed of 12 km/h for a wheeled vehicle, if a rudimentary ulated, nonpermissive, austere environment during a PFC sce-
road existed. Conclusion: Use of unmanned drones is feasible nario. We hypothesized that a UAV could successfully deliver
for delivery of life-saving medical supplies in austere environ- life-sustaining medical supplies to a remote, denied environ-
ments. Drones repeatedly and accurately delivered medical ment where vehicle or foot traffic is impossible or impractical.
supplies faster than other methods without additional risk to
personnel or manned airframe. This technology may have ben- Methods
efit for austere care of military and civilian casualties.
Using an unmanned, rotary-wing drone (Vapor 55; Pulse Aero-
Keywords: drone; prolonged field care; medical supplies; space, Inc, http://www.pulseaero.com/; Figure 1), we simulated
delivery; austere environment delivery of a customizable, 4.5kg) load of medical equipment,
including tourniquets, dressings, analgesics, and blood prod-
ucts. The UAV is a 25kg airframe that allows an 4.5kg pay-
Introduction load with full endurance, has a maximum cruise endurance
with full payload of 60 minutes, and a maximum hover en-
War is inexorably linked to illness and injury. Mobilization of durance with full payload of 45 minutes. After we received
medical resources is required to preserve life, limb, and health. institutional review board and Federal Aviation Administra-
Given the mobility and modularity of modern military med- tion approval, a simulated casualty was positioned in a remote
ical systems, the ability to provide increasingly sophisticated area located at US Army Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training
care in the prehospital environment has become not only a Center in Mississippi. The flight was preprogrammed on the
reality and necessity but an expectation. Austerity amplifies basis of grid coordinates provided by the tactical medical pro-
the complexity of providing care, often because of the scarcity vider positioned with the simulated casualty moments before
*Correspondence to David R. King, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, 165 Cambridge St, Suite 810, Boston, MA 02114; or dking3@mgh
.harvard.edu
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1 Dr Mesar is at the Department of Surgery, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA. Mr Lessig is at Pulse Aerospace. LTC King, US
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Army, is associate professor of surgery, Harvard Medical School; program director, Fellowship in Trauma, Acute Care Surgery, and Surgical
Critical Care, and trauma and acute care surgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. He is attached to the Joint Special Operations
Command.
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