Page 37 - JSOM Winter 2018

FIGURE 1 Vapor 55 (Pulse Aerospace) unmanned aerial vehicle. FIGURE 2 Comparison of delivery times by unmanned aerial
vehicle, vehicle, and foot march.

initiation of flight. The drone flew on autopilot beyond visual
range during daylight, owing to military restrictions on night
flights. Once at the target location, the UAV hovered 0.6m
above ground level and dropped the medical payload to the
ground. Altitude, flight time, and route were recorded live and after resuscitation is commenced on the ground by the tactical
the mission also was recorded and monitored by an overflying provider.
high- altitude Shadow drone.
This technology could be used easily on domestic soil to de-
liver blood products to rural areas to the injured where trans-
Delivery time was compared with the known US military stan-
dards for traversing uneven topography by foot or wheeled port is expected to be prolonged, hospitals with limited supply
4
vehicle. Data are reported as mean ± standard deviation. of blood products, and during terrorist attacks or natural di-
sasters in areas where supplies are extremely limited or where
environments are nonpermissive.
Results
Four flights were performed. Mean time from launch to deliv- Conclusion
ery was 20.77 ± 0.05 minutes (cruise speed, 34.03 ± 0.15km/h;
mean range, 12.27 ± 0.07km). Medical supplies were delivered UAV technology has been rapidly expanding over the past two
successfully within 1m from the target in each flight. The drone decades with permeation into many industries. In this proof-
successfully returned to the starting point every flight. Resupply of-concept study, we demonstrated the feasibility of using
by foot would take 5.1 hours with an average speed of 2.4km/h UAVs for delivery of medical supplies to trauma patients in
and 61.35 minutes, with an average speed of 12km/h for a austere environments during simulated PFC. UAVs repeatedly
wheeled vehicle, if a rudimentary road existed (Figure 2). The and accurately delivered medical supplies faster than other
time calculated to travel by land does not take into consider- methods without additional risk to personnel or manned air-
ation obstacles, unfavorable terrain features, or enemy contact. frame. This technology may have benefit for austere care of
military and civilian casualties.
Discussion Disclosures
The authors have indicated they have no financial relation-
Expedited evacuation to a medical facility with surgical ca-
pabilities has been historically considered the gold standard ships relevant to this article to disclose.
of management of patients with surgically treatable injuries.
5
Conventional ground forces do not carry blood products as Author Contributions
part of their standard equipment; thus, initiation of appropriate All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
resuscitation may be delayed. Even a single casualty may rap-
idly overwhelm resources in an austere environment. UAVs can References
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crewmembers eliminates the hazard of personnel loss. More automated external defibrillator using a drone for simulated out-
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