Saving lives is often a race against time. Diagnosis, treatment and recovery from illness or accident require swift attention and skill to ensure the successful rehabilitation of patients.
For hard-to-reach or under-resourced areas, a failure to receive the necessary medical attention quickly is often the biggest barrier to survival.
While this inaccessibility gap is ordinarily a concern for predominantly rural communities and underdeveloped countries, the recent life-saving measures given by way of drone to a man in Sweden reveal the wider-reaching need of innovative technology to provide critical care.
The man, 71, suffered a cardiac arrest in December while shovelling snow and collapsed in his driveway in the city of Trollhattan. A doctor, Mustafa Ali, who was on his way to work at the local hospital saw the man and rushed to help him.
“The man had no pulse, so I started doing CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] while asking another bystander to call 112 [the Swedish emergency number]," Dr Ali said. "Just minutes later, I saw something flying above my head. It was a drone with a defibrillator!"
After alerting the emergency services, an automated external defibrillator was dispatched using a drone and it arrived by the patient’s side in little more than three minutes. It was then used to restart the victim’s heart while they waited for an ambulance – the first time a life has been saved that way.
"I cannot put into words how thankful I am to this new technology and the speedy delivery of the defibrillator. If it was not for the drone, I probably would not be here," said the patient, who has since made a full recovery and is now back at home.
Developed and operated by Everdrone, a company that specialises in autonomous drone solutions, the company’s chief executive, Mats Sallstrom, said the defibrillator’s delivery was an "excellent real-world example" of how cutting-edge technology could minimise time required to offer life-saving treatment.
The company's test and development centres are located in the Swedish city of Gothenburg and focus on civil applications, primarily related to health care and emergency response.
Working in close collaboration with the Centre for Resuscitation Science at the Karolinska Institute, SOS Alarm and Region Vastra Gotaland, the operations are also supported by Vinnova, Swelife and Medtech4Health.
Everdrone says it has been scientifically established that the drone system can cut emergency response times, with the full study published in the European Heart Journal.
About 275,000 patients in Europe and 350,000 in the US suffer from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year, with about seven in 10 of them occurring at home where automated external defibrillators are not available.
With ambulances often taking long to reach the patient, the chances of survival fall by 7 per cent to 10 per cent with each minute that passes after the patient collapses, putting the survival rates for people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests at only 10 per cent.
Everdrone considers its "innovative" airborne delivery service of automated external defibrillators as a "proven method" to ensure patients receive quick life-saving treatment.
The company says its delivery service can currently reach 200,000 residents in Sweden. It expects to expand to more locations in Europe in 2022.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Dunki
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
