Researchers suggest drones could significantly reduce the time needed to deliver defibrillators to people suffering out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. This matters because survival falls by about 10% for every minute without CPR and defibrillation, while fewer than one in 10 UK patients survive such events.

The study examined 28,349 cardiac arrests and 1,893 fixed defibrillators in Greater Paris between 2011 and 2024. Only 30% of cases occurred within 500 metres of an existing device; modelling found that 100 drone bases plus 26 extra defibrillators could cover over 97% of cases, while 200 bases and four extra devices could cover more than 99% within roughly 4km. The researchers stressed that the findings are based on modelling rather than real-world deployment, and that many existing defibrillators are inaccessible.