A Kidney Was Carried For More Than An Hour With No Appreciable Damage

A University of Maryland Medical Center doctor, working with the school's Department of Aerospace Engineering, has successfully transported a kidney by drone in an experiment that could lead to faster delivery of organs for transplant.

According to a report from IEEE Spectrum, the kidney used in the experiment was not healthy enough to be used for a transplant. The results were published November 6 in the IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine.

For the experiment, the kidney was transported by a DJI M600 Pro drone in a container chilled to 2.5 degrees Centigrade. Over 14 flight missions, it was in the container for a little more than an hour and flew 1.5 miles and reached a maximum speed of 36.5 knots.

The study found that the organ was subjected to slightly less vibration than one in a control experiment transported in a King Air. The kidney exhibited no damage from the flight.

Dr. Joseph Scalea said that the three-year project is "a first step ... that I think will get patients closer to their life-saving organs quicker, and with better outcomes." He said that an experiment with a kidney that is suitable for transplant could come early next year.

(Image provided by Dr. Joseph Scalea)

FMI: Source report, Abstract, aero.umd.edu