Report: Drones are delivering blood samples in N.C.

April 2, 2019 By Fink Densford Leave a Comment

Autonomous drones have begun to ferry blood samples between clinics and labs in the skies over North Carolina, according to a recent report from Wired.

The drone service, run by UPS with drone technology from Matternet, made its first flight last Tuesday at Raleigh’s WakeMed Hospital, according to the report.

The drone can carry up to five pounds and completes its flight in approximately three minutes, a significant reduction from the 30 minutes it would take for a driver to make the journey by car, according to Wired.

While the drone is designed to work autonomously, all flights are monitored by a remote pilot-in-command who can intervene if necessary, according to the report.

The blood-sample toting drones will take about 10 flights daily to start, according to Wired, with the chance to increase if service picks up.

The service was born from the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program which aims to test the safe integration of drone tech into commercial airspace, according to the report. And while the service is new to UPS, Matternet has reportedly executed more than 3,000 similar flights in Switzerland.

WakeMed is hopeful that the service will lower cost and hasten deliveries, and both UPS and Matternet said they hope to expand the service to other areas in the country, according to the Wired report.

Siemens Healthineers lands FDA clearance for two CT systems
Siemens Healthineers this week said it won FDA clearance for its Somatom go.Sim and Somtom go.Open Pro computed tomography systems. The CT systems are designed for radiation therapy planning and are members of the company’s Somatom go. platform of devices. Siemens Healthineers’ platform uses hardware and software components like patient marking lasers and automated quality… […]
Protolabs’ healthcare grant spurs 2 feeding tube inventions
Digital manufacturer Protolabs (NYSE:PRLB) announced today that MedStar Health (Columbia, Md.) and Cleveland Clinic Innovations are joint winners of the company’s Cool Idea Award: Healthcare Grant. These grants provide in-kind manufacturing services to the support development of medical products to spur innovation in the field. MedStar Health’s gravity-feed syringe holder simplifies the feeding of newborns who spend […]
Sterigenics’ legal troubles mount in Illinois
Nearly two dozen new lawsuits were filed against Sterigenics this week over its now-shuttered ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization plant in Willowbrook, Ill., according to a law firm representing some of the plaintiffs. That brings the total of such lawsuits to nearly 75, noted Chicago personal injury lawyer Antonio Romanucci, court-appointed lead counsel from among five… […]
In2Bones launches AlloAid BioNail
In2Bones this week launched its AlloAid BioNail sterile allograft implant. The implant is designed to give rigid, stable fixation during hand and foot reconstruction. AlloAid BioNail is made from strong cortical allografts to provide osteoconductive properties for bone remodeling and healing. It features a tapered point and multiple, contoured wedge facets to ease insertion, anchor… […]
Protolabs’ healthcare grant spurs 2 feeding tube inventions
Digital manufacturer Protolabs (NYSE:PRLB) announced today that MedStar Health (Columbia, Md.) and Cleveland Clinic Innovations are joint winners of the company’s Cool Idea Award: Healthcare Grant. These grants provide in-kind manufacturing services to the support development of medical products to spur innovation in the field. MedStar Health’s gravity-feed syringe holder simplifies the feeding of newborns… […]
Nihon Kohden launches new patient monitor
Nihon Kohden (TYO:6849) announced the U.S. launch of its Life Scope SVM-7200 series vital signs monitor for outpatient facilities and beds that aren’t continuously monitored. The Life Scope SVM-7200 is designed to provide customizable early warning scoring to help clinicians identify patients who are deteriorating or at risk of deterioration. It combines vital signs data with… […]
Senate confirms Dr. Stephen Hahn to lead FDA
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Dr. Stephen Hahn as the next commissioner of the FDA. The vote was 72 to 18, according to a report in the New York Times. Hahn will be the first permanent commissioner of the agency since Dr. Scott Gottlieb resigned in April. President Trump nominated Hahn, the chief medical officer at Houston’s… […]
3M to sell drug-delivery biz to Altaris Capital Partners for $650m
3M (NYSE:MMM) announced today that it entered into an agreement to sell most of its drug-delivery business to an affiliate of Altaris Capital Partners for approximately $650 million. St. Paul, Minn.-based 3M will retain its transdermal drug delivery components business, according to a news release. The business being divested has annual global sales reaching approximately… […]
Lawsuit endangers Sterigenics consent order in Georgia
A consent order that Sterigenics entered into with the state of Georgia to reduce ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions at its Atlanta medtech sterilization plant may be in jeopardy. A hearing is scheduled today on a lawsuit that accuses the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of failing to take public comment before entering the Aug. 7… […]
Trelleborg acquires Tritec Seal
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions said today it has closed on its acquisition of rotary seal manufacturer Tritec Seal, which produces engineered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sealing solutions. Trelleborg said the acquisition strengthens its product portfolio while giving the business area access to increased manufacturing capacity. Headquartered in Fenton, Mich., with additional manufacturing in Giddings, Texas, Tritec Seal generated… […]
RSNA 2019: 7 radiology innovations you need to know
Nearly 53,000 people attended the 2019 Radiological Society of North America annual meeting in Chicago last week. And they heard the same acronym over and over again: AI. Exhibitors at the conference touted their artificial-intelligence-enhanced technology at every turn, claiming to make images clearer, sharper, easier to use and powerful enough to help clinicians make… […]