How a drone crunched tissue sample transport time from 1 hour to 16 minutes for surgery in Karnataka

The drone that was used to transport appendix tissue from one hospital to another in Karnataka

In early April, the Indian Council of Medical Research said it had successfully used a drone to transport a tissue sample from a rural hospital to a testing laboratory, reducing what would have taken an hour by road to only 16 minutes.

ICMR has been taking up drone-based healthcare deliveries since the onset of the pandemic, starting in the northeastern states of Manipur and Nagaland, where drones were used to deliver Covid-19 vaccines.

However, what set this one apart was that the transported sample and the subsequent test result played a major role in determining the course of treatment for a patient.

Let's look at how the drone transportation was taken up:

What was the sample transported by the drone?

A patient at Dr TMA Pai Rural Hospital in Karnataka's Udupi district complained of recurrent abdominal pain. On examination, doctors found that the patient had a dilated appendix and elective surgery was planned.

The surgeon obtained the patient's consent to participate in a trial run of using a drone to transport a tissue sample to a testing lab 37 km away to help determine the next steps to be taken.

After that, a tissue sample was extracted laparoscopically. It would have to be checked to find out if the appendix had features of mucocele, ischemia or gangrene. In ischemia, blood flow is restricted to a part of the body.

How was the sample prepared for transportation?

After the tissue sample was extracted by the surgeon, it was handed over to a technician who placed it in a container that had the details of the patient and the sample. The container was placed in a temperature-regulated courier box.

The box was then carried from the operation theatre and loaded on to the drone. Next, the drone's parameters were checked, and it was set for take-off.

Where did the drone take the sample?

The drone travelled from Dr TMA Pai Rural Hospital in Karkala, Udupi, to Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, covering a distance of about 37 km in 16 minutes. The journey by road typically takes 50-60 minutes.

What happened after the drone landed?

Upon arrival at Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, the sample was taken out from the drone and carried to the pathology department, where it was analysed.

The sample was found to non-malignant, and the report was conveyed electronically to the hospital. Based on the report, the surgeon proceeded with the operation.

What are other drone projects that ICMR is taking up?

As Moneycontrol reported earlier, ICMR will soon start transporting tuberculosis sputum samples and drugs with the help of drones in Telangana's Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district as part of the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).

The six-month-long feasibility study, which begins in December, will be conducted along with AIIMS-Bibinagar, and connect community and primary health centres (PHC) and tuberculosis units in the district.

In October 2023, ICMR conducted a study in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul to assess the feasibility of medical deliveries through drones in high-altitude regions.