12/14/2025
This!
🚁 Drones Delivering AEDs: A New Frontier in Saving Lives
A pilot program in Forsyth County, NC, and James City County, VA, is testing whether drones can help save people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest by delivering automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
When a 911 call meets the criteria, both EMS and a drone are dispatched. If the drone arrives first, it lowers an AED from 200 feet in the air while dispatchers guide bystanders on how to use it.
With over 350,000 cardiac arrests in the U.S. each year — and survival dropping roughly 10% for every minute without defibrillation — faster AED access could be a game-changer.
“This project is laying the groundwork for what we hope will become a large, multi-center clinical trial,” says Joseph Ornato, SCAF Advisory Council member. “Future research will help us understand how well this works, costs, and how to get AEDs to people quickly — in cities and rural communities alike.”
📖 Read more here: https://www.sca-aware.org/sca-news/drones-are-delivering-life-saving-defibrillators-to-911-calls
