'37 Km In 16 Min': Milestone Achieved As Tissue Sample Transported Mid-Surgery Via Drone | DETAILS

’37 km in 20 min’: milestone achieved as tissue sample transported mid-surgery via drone | details

Bengaluru: A tissue sample was transported mid-surgery on Wednesday from a peripheral hospital in Karnataka. The experiment was part of the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) trial run for advanced pathological testing at a tertiary setting. The trial was conducted to decide if the resected tissue was cancerous, reported.

The ICMR successfully conducted the trial run of transporting onco-pathological samples by drones. The trial run was conducted under the ICMR’s i-Drone initiative. The drone covered a distance of 37 km for transporting intraoperative surgical biospecimens surgically excised from the patient admitted to Dr TMA Pai Hospital, Karkala.

The intraoperative surgical biospecimens were transported to Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education Manipal (tertiary care hospital). The total time taken was 15-20 minutes. generally, it takes around 50-60 minutes by road.

ICMR’s Tweet:

The sample was promptly analysed. The report was electronically conveyed back to the peripheral hospital. The surgery was conducted based on the received report, reported PTI.

The trial run as part of a validation study has been undertaken for the first time in the country. It is conducted by the collaborative efforts of ICMR, Kasturba Medical College (KMC) and Dr TMA PAI Rotary Hospital.

Drones play a crucial role in agriculture, defence, disaster relief and healthcare, especially during emergency situations by enabling rapid delivery of vaccines, medications, and vital supplies to remote and inaccessible areas, an official statement stated.

The ICMR along with Kasturba Medical College is currently conducting a feasibility study in Manipal, Karnataka. The study aims to evaluate the potential use of aerial transportation systems (drones), to transport items such as pathology samples from secondary healthcare facilities to tertiary-level hospitals, the statement added.

This innovative technique could potentially connect secondary care centres with limited resources to tertiary care facilities with advanced diagnostics. It will facilitate immediate access during surgical procedures.

The ICMR has been using drones for healthcare purposes. It has successfully conducted the delivery of medical supplies, vaccines, and medicines in remote areas of the country.

“The ‘i-DRONE’ initiative was initially utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic by ICMR for distributing vaccines to inaccessible areas. Last year, we successfully conducted trials for delivering blood and blood-related products, which require low-temperature storage,” Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary of the Department of Health Research (DHR) and Director General, ICMR said as reported by the news agency.

“Additionally, in another study, we transported medications and diagnostic samples to subzero temperature areas and challenging regions with altitudes exceeding 12,000 feet in Himachal Pradesh. In this ongoing study, our focus extends beyond delivering pathological specimens; we aim to enhance patient compliance and alleviate the burden on tertiary care hospitals,” he added.