Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Not Too Distant Future, Drones Could Be Used To Save Heart Attack Victims
Los Angeles Times: Ambulances Are So 2016. After A Cardiac Arrest, The Fastest Way To Send Help Is On A Flying Drone
The best medicine for a person who goes into sudden cardiac arrest is an electric shock. That jolt temporarily stops the heart, along with its rapid or erratic beat. When the heart starts itself up again, it can revert to its normal rhythm and resume pumping blood to the brain and the rest of the body. The sooner this happens, the better. When a patient is shocked within one minute of collapse, the chance of survival is nearly 90%. But if it takes 10 minutes to administer a shock, the odds or survival fall below 5%. (Kaplan, 6/13)
NPR: Drones Might Help Save People In Cardiac Arrest
More than 350,000 cardiac arrests happen across the U.S. in places other than hospitals each year, according to the American Heart Association — and a person's chance of surviving is about 1 in 10. Drone-delivered AEDs beat ambulance trip times to the scenes of cardiac arrests, the researchers say in a letter published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Columbus, 6/13)
Stat: 6 Ways Drones Could Change Health Care
In fact, in some cases, drones could carry defibrillators to heart attack victims faster than an ambulance, according to a paper published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers simulated emergency situations and found they could get automatic external defibrillators to the scene an average of 16 minutes faster by drone than by ambulance. If bystanders were willing and able to use the devices, the shorter response time could save lives, said lead author Andreas Claesson, a registered nurse. Restrictions on drones have limited their use in medicine. But that’s starting to change, Claesson said. “We’re getting there — showing this save lives and costs,” he added. (Blau, 6/13)
In other health IT news —
Stat: Sculley On Digital Health Care: ‘The Most Interesting Thing I’ve Seen Since Apple’
Former Apple CEO John Sculley, who had a famously hot-and-cold relationship with Apple founder Steve Jobs, says the next multibillion-dollar opportunity to change the world is in digital health care. Sculley has surfaced as chief marketing officer at the Southborough, Mass., startup RxAdvance, a cloud-based software company where he is working with founder and CEO Ravi Ika to disrupt the giant industry of managing pharmacy benefits. (Scully, 6/13)
Kaiser Health News: Tweet Revenge: Twitter Erupts As Diabetes Forum Tries To Lock Down Photo Sharing
Attendees at the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions in San Diego this year — many of them young researchers who are active on social media — were surprised to be greeted with the following: “Thanks for joining us at #2017ADA! Photography isn’t allowed during presentations — we’d appreciate it if you’d delete this tweet.” For many, the essence of gathering at conferences is the sharing of scientific information, a peek at interesting research in progress. (Kopp, 6/13)
