Assessment of drone transport for biological samples: a real-world experience at a tertiary hospital.

OBJECTIVES

Our aim is to determine whether drone transport introduces relevant variability in analytical results and to assess its suitability for integration into routine hospital laboratory operations.

METHODS

A two-phase study was conducted. The stability phase involved three sets of samples from 31 healthy volunteers transported by drone, by road, and processed without transport. The pilot phase included paired samples from 104 primary care patients transported by drone and by road. A broad panel of 53 biochemical, hematological and urinary analytes was assessed. Analytical performance was evaluated using mean bias, comparison with reference change values (RCVs) and hemolysis grading.

RESULTS

Most analytes showed minimal differences between transport methods. In the stability study, glucose and MCH in road-transported samples, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) in drone-transported samples, exceeded their respective RCVs, with LDH likely affected by mild hemolysis. In the pilot study, statistically significant differences were observed between transport methods for potassium, exhibiting a bias of -1.7 % (-2.6 to -0.8 %). Hemolysis was slightly more frequent in drone samples during the stability study but comparable in the pilot study.

CONCLUSIONS

Drone transport preserved the analytical integrity of a comprehensive test panel and has the potential to reduce logistical constraints. These findings support its implementation as a reliable and sustainable alternative to conventional transport in clinical laboratory settings.