The drone dispatch is triggered immediately after a cardiac arrest call and arrives before EMS to provide an AED to bystanders.

Key partners include Duke Health, Forsyth County Fire/EMS, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and academic collaborators from institutions such as Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Washington, Emory University, and University of Toronto.

The project is described as first‑of‑its‑kind and is supported by the American Heart Association, with Monique Starks, M.D., of Duke University School of Medicine serving as principal investigator.

The collaboration spans multiple institutions and is backed by the American Heart Association, including participants at University of Washington, Emory, VCU, University of Toronto, and Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

organizers emphasize the potential to save lives by closing the gap between collapse and treatment and note the study could inform a large, multi‑center randomized trial in the future.

A virtual media briefing with Duke outlines goals, potential survival impact, and ongoing data collection for the drone‑AED study.

The initiative lays groundwork for a larger, multi‑center randomized trial to assess effectiveness, cost, and scalability of drone‑delivered AEDs across urban and rural settings.

The pilot will measure how quickly AEDs can be delivered and assess feasibility for expansion based on outcomes like effectiveness and cost.

The program aims to deliver AEDs within five minutes for more than half of the study area’s population in Forsyth County and James City County.

Experts note that AEDs are most effective when used promptly, and the study seeks to validate effectiveness, cost, and scalability for broader adoption.

The pilot operates in Clemmons, North Carolina, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., led by Monique Starks, an associate professor at Duke University School of Medicine.

Safety, regulatory compliance, and understanding costs and scalability of drone‑delivered AEDs in urban and rural settings are central to the study.

Leading figures include Dr. Monique Starks and Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, who explains the drone operation and coordination with 911/EMS.

The program seeks to reduce the delay between cardiac arrest onset and AED application, addressing gaps where EMS response is longer, particularly in rural areas.

Bystander education and empowerment are emphasized to enable AED use upon drone arrival, with emphasis on rural and remote areas where traditional response times lag.

The trial runs in Clemmons (Forsyth County) and James City County (Virginia), coordinating with local emergency services, the Sheriff’s Office, and the Duke Clinical Research Institute, funded by the American Heart Association.

The study is led by Duke Health and coordinated through the Duke Clinical Research Institute, with Forsyth County as the primary site and an extension to James City County.

The study location is Clemmons, North Carolina, with a research lab and collaboration among Duke Health, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, and local emergency services.

Duke Health communications provide ongoing updates and information about the project.

If successful, the study could revolutionize emergency care by narrowing the time to treatment and potentially saving thousands of lives.

The initiative seeks to empower bystanders to apply the AED when the drone arrives, aiming to lift bystander AED usage from a few percent to over 30%.

Drones offer an advantage because they bypass road traffic and can travel at higher speeds, benefiting rural or remote areas.

Participants include Forsyth County Fire/EMS and Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, highlighting a community‑driven approach to emergency care innovation.

Dispatchers provide bystander instructions on AED use while EMS is en route, narrowing the delay before treatment.

Duke Health and Forsyth County, North Carolina are conducting a first‑of‑its‑kind U.S. study that uses drones to deliver automated external defibrillators (AEDs) during real 911 cardiac arrest calls, aiming to cut the time to treatment.

Experts say drones will supplement, not replace, traditional EMS, focusing on shrinking the critical window between collapse and care and expanding access to lifesaving equipment.