Johns Hopkins University researchers have determined that large bags of blood products, such as those transfused into patients every day, can maintain temperature and cellular integrity while being transported by drones. The findings add to evidence that remotely piloted drones can be a safe and effective means for quickly transporting blood to remote accidents, natural catastrophe sites, or other time-sensitive destinations, according to the investigators.

“For rural areas that lack access to nearby clinics, or that may lack the infrastructure for collecting blood products or transporting them on their own, drones can provide that access,” says Dr. Timothy Amukele, assistant professor of pathology at the university's School of Medicine. Drones also can help in urban centers like Baltimore City to improve distribution of blood products and the quality of care, he says.

For each test, the drone was flown by remote control 13-20 km at 100 meters altitude, which took up to 26.5 minutes. Image credit: Pixabay. The Johns Hopkins team previously studied the impact of drone transportation on the chemical, hematological and microbial makeup of drone-flown blood samples and found that these properties were not negatively affected. The new study examined the effects of drone transportation on larger amounts of blood products used for transfusion, which have significantly more complex handling, transportation and storage requirements compared to blood samples for laboratory testing.

For the study, the team purchased six units of red blood cells, six units of platelets and six units of unthawed plasma and packed them into a five-quart cooler two to three units at a time, in keeping with weight restrictions for the transport drone. The researchers used a commercial S900-model drone, from which they removed the camera mount and replaced it with the cooler. For each test, the drone was flown by remote control 13-20 km at 100 meters altitude, which took up to 26.5 minutes.

The team designed the test to maintain temperature for the red blood cells, platelets and plasma units using wet ice, pre-calibrated thermal packs and dry ice, respectively. Temperature monitoring was constant, in keeping with transportation and storage requirements for blood components.

Following the flights, all samples were transported to the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where Amukele’s team centrifuged the units of red blood cells to check them for damage. They also tested the platelets for changes in number and pH, as well as the plasma units for evidence of air bubbles, which would indicate thawing.

The team plans further and larger studies in the U.S. and overseas and hopes to test methods of active cooling, such as programming a cooler to maintain a specific temperature.

“My vision is that in the future, when a first responder arrives to the scene of an accident, he or she can test the victim’s blood type right on the spot and send for a drone to bring the correct blood product,” says Amukele.