Modified drone successfully delivers transplant lung to patient

A transplant lung has been successfully delivered by drone between hospitals in Toronto.

The air transport of the organ from Western Hospital to Toronto General Hospital took five minutes. It was delivered to a patient with pulmonary fibrosis and successfully transplanted.

While drones have been used before to transport organs, they are not used for the heart and lungs. These are particularly challenging because they must be transplanted between 4 and 6 hours after the donor’s death.

In this case, a team from University Health Network in Toronto designed a lung transport box and modified a DJI Matrice 600 Pro drone to carry it. They described the process in the journal Science Robotics.

To reduce weight, the drone’s landing gear and luggage rack have been removed. Still equipped with a parachute recovery system, GPS and cameras, the entire package – including the lungs – weighed less than 50 pounds.

The team made more than 400 test flights between the roofs of the two hospitals, which were only 1.5 kilometers apart, taking advantage of the light wind and good visibility on the day of the flight.

In fact, the operation went so smoothly that the 63-year-old lung recipient was released from intensive care just two days after the operation.

The use of drones for organ delivery could become a new and efficient means of organ transport.

The researchers point out that even short transfers with vehicles on the ground can take a long time – due to traffic jams or unforeseen delays. A drone can fly over it.

They also suggest their approach could be used to transport organs in rural areas, where hospitals don’t always have helipads.