A drone carried out test flights in Antwerp (Belgium) on Tuesday to transport human tissue from one hospital to another for analysis.
This is a first in Europe.
Piloted by the Flemish company Helicus, the drone connected the two buildings, 800 m apart, in four minutes.
Inside a tube attached to the drone, a vial contained potentially cancerous human tissue intended for laboratory analysis.
This test flight was followed by three others during the day.
Via @euronewsfr: Belgium: a drone transports human tissue between two hospitals, a first in Europe https://t.co/AzDz601hFQ
Congratulations to Helicus, this Dutch company for this European first, the future and above all in saving time precious 👏👏👍👍🇧🇪🇧🇪
— Verleye Pascal (@WellnessPascal) August 24, 2022
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A generalization of flights in 2023?
Helicus is currently the only European company to be authorized (since June) to organize drone flights for medical purposes, over a city and piloted remotely out of the operator's field of vision.
These tests come before new European regulations expected in 2023, which will generalize the transport of human tissue by drone.
Helicus is banking on commercial development and regular flights by 2024.
"In the face of rising health system costs, expensive medical technical services such as laboratories can be centralized in one place" and combined with the transport of samples, explains Mikael Shamim, CEO of Helicus.
“The great advantage of drones is to combine speed […] and regularity, which guarantees logistical reliability.
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Go faster in emergency situations
The leaders of the two hospital groups concerned by this test are already preparing the new European regulations.
“Delivery times are vital, and the absence of traffic jams in the air ensures reliable flight duration,” notes Els van Doesburg, president of the ZNA hospital network.
The four laboratories of the two ZNA and GZA networks in Antwerp have to process 1,200 samples taken during a surgical operation each year.
Each must be analyzed urgently, in particular to detect cancer cells and determine the rest of the operation.
They are now transported by road, sometimes by taxi.
For the moment, only samples intended for analysis (human tissues, urine, blood samples) are concerned by drone transport.
But Helicus is already considering the possibility of sending blood bags or organs for transplantation.
“It will take years, because the challenge is more complicated,” explains Mikael Shamim.
“With a larger volume, you have to add cooling elements.
»
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Health
Drone
Belgium
Hospital
Laboratory
Cancer
Europe