Abstract:

Previous studies on UAV-based delivery of automated external defibrillators have mainly examined the potential reduction of AED arrival times in sudden cardiac arrest. This paper adopts a preliminary planning perspective by examining the basic costs and organisational resources that would need to be considered before such a concept could be tested in a Polish city. Using Kraków as an illustrative reference case, the study develops an ex ante cost-infrastructure estimate of UAV-based AED transport based on selected technical, staffing and regulatory assumptions. The analysis considers a two-UAV pilot scenario and a wider urban scaling scenario to indicate the order of magnitude of resources associated with different levels of system development. The results show that personnel costs and the need to maintain continuous operational readiness dominate the estimated cost structure. The study therefore provides a baseline planning estimate that may support further discussion on pilot testing, without treating the proposed scenarios as a ready implementation model. From a management perspective, the study highlights the need to treat UAV-based AED transport not only as a technological concept, but also as a resource-planning and cost-structuring problem before pilot implementation.