Drones to deliver blood samples for London hospital

A London hospital plans to test medical drone delivery service for on-demand transportation of urgent pathology items including blood samples.

Guy’s and St. Thomas NHS Foundation Trust teamed with health care logistics company Apian and drone delivery company Wing to offer on-demand drone delivery, a service the hospital said could pave the way for delivery of other medical items.

“The drone pilot combines two of our key priorities – providing the best possible patient care and improving sustainability,” said professor Ian Abbs, chief executive at Guy’s and St Thomas. “We are proud to be the first trust in London to trial this innovative approach to help speed up blood sample analysis for our most urgent cases.”

Electric drones will transport urgent blood samples, speeding turnaround times to improve patient care, the hospital said. 

By using drones, delivering samples between Guy’s Hospital and the lab at St. Thomas Hospital is expected to take fewer than two minutes compared to more than 30 minutes by raod. The test would include transporting blood samples for patients slated for surgery who are at high-risk for complications from bleeding disorders, allowing for quicker and more efficient analysis. 

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