Blood and its components can be transported safely with drones by following guidelines: ICMR study
Titled 'Adopting drone technology for blood delivery: A feasibility study to evaluate its efficiency and sustainability', ICMR's lead study assesses the impact of drone-based delivery on blood components, comparing their delivery via conventional modes of transportation. The study aims to lay the foundation for successful and sustainable drone-based blood delivery programmes in India.
Drone technology provides opportunities for improvement in the healthcare sector, primarily in remote environments and rural areas, by enabling just-in-time delivery of life-saving medical supplies, the study says.
However, the transportation of blood and its components is complicated as they need to be stored at a specified temperature, or else their functionality is adversely affected, for example, the oxygen carrying ability of blood is greatly reduced. Moreover, the risk of bacterial contamination rises if it's exposed to aseptic conditions or a warm environment. Conversely, blood exposed to extreme lower temperatures may get haemolysed, which could lead to a fatal transfusion reaction.
Maintaining cold chain integrity is essential for compliance and accreditation in the delivery of blood and its components. The study documents the challenges experienced by the team during the drone-based delivery while maintaining the biochemical parameters of blood components.
'During drone-based transportation, the temperature, integrity of blood cells, and other parameters were maintained, while slight changes in few parameters were observed via both [conventional and drone-based] transportation modes. In this study, the drone travelled around 36 kilometres in eight minutes, while the [road transport] van took around 55 minutes to cover the same distance,'' Sumit Aggarwal, Scientist and Programme Officer, I-Drone lead and in-charge, ICMR, said.
Blood banks and transfusion services adhere to stringent national and international regulations, and quality standards that mandate strict temperature control throughout the blood supply chain, from collection to transfusion, Dr. Aggarwal said.
'Climatic conditions are crucial since drone transportation and blood biochemicals can be affected by environmental factors. With India's diverse and distinct topographical variations and geographical spread, the delivery of healthcare supplies faces multiple challenges,'' he added.
Drone trials in other countries, including Italy and Rwanda, have indicated drones are a viable solution for blood transportation, and do not affect the integrity of blood and its components, in spite of occasional accelerations and decelerations en route, the study says.
Obstacles for ground vehicles, including geographical distances, challenging topographical features such as mountains and rivers, poor or underdeveloped road systems, can be overcome with drones as a mode of transportation, another Southeast Asian study has suggested.
'Hence, the drone is a potential alternative to explore in tropical countries as a first response vehicle in emergencies. But more scientific evidence is required about the practicality, operational challenges and impact on the quality of blood after transportation via drone,'' the ICMR study states.
Understanding the operational challenges for the transportation of blood bags via drones is a vital step, the study says.
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