A-123 Comparative Assessment of Unmanned High-Speed Aerial Vehicles in Medical Logistics: Blood Sample Transportation Amidst Weather Variability

Abstract

Abstract Background Drones, as an innovative technology, hold transformative potential in the field of medical logistics, especially in the transportation of sensitive medical materials like blood samples. This study aimed to assess and compare the impact of high-speed drone transportation with conventional car transportation on the integrity and preanalytics of blood samples, taking into account various blood materials and analytes. Methods Blood samples, including EDTA whole blood, serum, and plasma anticoagulated with Citrate and Lithium-Heparin transported as whole blood, were subjected to transportation via both drone and car. Drone flights were tested under diverse weather conditions (ranging between 4 and 20 degrees Celsius), and results were compared to samples stored without transportation. The maximum drone speed exceeded 100 km/h. A total of 28 analytes were tested on Serum, 20 on EDTA, 26 on Lithium-Heparin, and 5 on Citrate blood. Statistical analyses were performed using Passing Bablok and Bland-Altman methods. Results For Serum samples, the correlation coefficient (r) ranged from 0.830 to 1.000, and slopes varied from 0.913 to 1.111. Five analytes (total bilirubin, Calcium, Ferritin, Kalium, and Sodium) exhibited discrepancies between the negative control and the transported sample, with r lower than 0.800, slopes not between 0.8 and 1.2, and mean (%) not between +/- 10%. However, no significant differences were noted between drone and car transportation. Similar patterns emerged for EDTA, Lithium-Heparin, and Citrate samples, with r ranging from 0.829 to 0.997, 0.939 to 0.998, and 0.830 to 1.000, respectively. Slopes ranged from 0.956 to 1.051, 0.938 to 1.085, and 0.913 to 1.111. Despite identifying a few discrepancies in specific analytes, no significant differences were observed between transportation methods. Conclusions n comparison to transportation by car, drone transportation of blood samples did not lead to alterations in concentrations of commonly used analytes. Notably, instances of differences before and after transportation were attributed to the transportation process itself rather than the mode of transportation. This suggests that the use of drones for medical sample transport can be deemed comparable to, if not superior to, traditional car transportation methods.