Drones transporting emergency medical aid could be flying over Peel next year

Paramedic service to test AED delivery system

 

Mississauga.com
Nov. 15, 2017
Roger Belgrave

Remote controlled aircraft carrying medical aid to cardiac arrest patients could be flying over parts of Peel Region as early as next year.

The region expects to begin testing the use of drones in delivering Automated External Defibrillators (AED) to patients in remote parts of Caledon.

Dr. Sheldon Cheskes is medical director at the Sunnybrook Centre for Pre-Hospital Medicine, which provides oversight for paramedic services in Peel and Halton.

During an update to Peel regional council on paramedic operations, Cheskes said a pilot project is planned for early 2018.

Earlier this year, Peel Region Paramedic Services partnered with Vaughan-based Drone Delivery Canada in initiating research and design for a drone delivery system capable of transporting AEDs to the scene of 911 calls.

Cheskes said initial focus is in remote regional locations where ambulance response times may not be as fast as in more urban areas.

Drones could be dispatched from a central location.

An AED is a portable device capable of checking a patient's heart rhythm and delivering an electric shock to restore rhythm in cardiac arrest victims.

Today's machines can provide audio and visual instruction to bystanders willing to deliver patient care at a scene until paramedics arrive.