EXTRA CORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATOR - A SAVIOR IN SUDDEN CARDIAC ARREST

The speed of medical interventions in many emergent clinical conditions decides life and death outcomes. Significant developments in addressing this requirement are the availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) facilitating first responders to promptly defibrillate patients in shockable cardiac arrest. The development of auto-injectors for adrenaline in anaphylactic reactions and intranasal naloxone for acute opioid overdose has saved many lives before the arrival of emergency medical technicians. The time frame within which medical responders can arrive on-scene has, therefore, a direct bearing on the treatment and outcome of these time-sensitive emergencies. There is an ongoing effort to deliver critical medical supplies at the scene of the emergency. Even in advanced countries, arrival of an ambulance at the scene of an event takes a minimum of 8 minutes. Serious cases will succumb in that time period. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones-based delivery of time-critical medical supplies is an emerging alternative in reducing response times in critical care scenarios. Drones are able to autonomously deliver AEDs to the site of an outside hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), faster than a pedestrian who is able to locate and retrieve and AED in a community setting. UAVs can also deliver oxygen, preloaded epinephrine syringes, intravenous fluids, naloxone nasal drops and other critical drugs to remote areas, over challenging terrains, in quick time. The integration of drone technology into emergency medical services (EMS) has to secure regulatory approvals, consider privacy concerns and based on sound logistical frameworks