These drones are carrying blood — not bombs.
A Florida hospital is preparing to launch what it says is the nation’s first drone program designed to rush lifesaving blood to trauma victims, bringing critical care closer to the scene of an emergency instead of waiting for patients to reach the ER.
Tampa General Hospital announced Monday that it will begin using drone delivery to transport whole blood directly to locations where patients have suffered catastrophic injuries across a 70-square-mile section of Hillsborough County.
The program aims to reduce blood delivery times to less than three minutes, giving patients with severe bleeding a stronger chance of survival, the hospital said in a statement.
When a 911 call reports traumatic injuries involving major blood loss, dispatchers will send emergency crews to the scene while also triggering the deployment of drones equipped with lifesaving blood supplies.
If needed, first responders will be able to begin blood transfusions right at the emergency site.
The emergency drone logistics systems and services are being supplied by Archer First Response Systems and will be operated by Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
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“The golden hour of trauma care has always started at the hospital door until now,” Michele Moran, senior vice president for emergency services at Tampa General, said in a statement.
“This program puts whole blood directly into the hands of first responders before a patient ever reaches us, moving that critical window to the scene of the emergency itself.”
It will be implemented at two Hillsborough County Fire Rescue stations — Station 9 in the Faulkenburg and Sabal Park area and Station 37 in Riverview — which see the most patients with traumatic blood loss injuries.
“Our crews are often first at the scene of an accident,” Chief Todd Carnell, rescue division chief of Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, said in a statement.
“This program puts an essential, lifesaving resource directly in our hands at the scene, giving our first responders more tools to improve the chances of survival of a patient in crisis.”
The cutting-edge tech is scheduled to come online in October, subject to county commission approval.
The drone program was developed in partnership with Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine, the Florida Center for Emergency Medical Services, OneBlood and Archer First Response System.
It is a game changer for our first responders and, more importantly, for the families we serve,” Carnell added.
