{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T09:02:06Z","timestamp":1780045326076,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,13]],"date-time":"2021-09-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1631491200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.","award":["None"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["None"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Drones"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Long-distance transoceanic transport of blood using drones has never been reported. This study aimed to prove that blood transportation via drones can meet the rapid demand for blood transfusions anywhere in Japan, including remote islands. We demonstrated the transport of red blood cells (RBCs) packs using a drone over the sea from Sasebo to Arikawa port. Drone operations were conducted visually only at take-off and landing. Cruise flights were conducted via satellite-based remote control from Tokyo. The RBC solutions were transported at 2\u20136 \u00b0C to avoid hemolysis. Hemolysis was assessed visually and by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels before departure and upon arrival at Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital to evaluate whether RBCs were transfusable. LDH levels of the RBC solutions before and after transport were 57.5 \u00b1 3.1 vs. 64.0 \u00b1 2.9. RBC solutions were transported via air and land from Tokyo to Sasebo and showed no remarkable signs of hemolysis. Remote RBC solution transport by uncrewed helicopters with temperature control is feasible and allows RBC transportation in emergencies involving disrupted land transportation, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/drones5030096","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,14]],"date-time":"2021-09-14T03:46:14Z","timestamp":1631591174000},"page":"96","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":15,"title":["Quality Control of Red Blood Cell Solutions for Transfusion Transported via Drone Flight to a Remote Island"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8928-6433","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Koki","family":"Yakushiji","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, 5322 Endo, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa 252-0882, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4494-9264","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fumiatsu","family":"Yakushiji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital, 4-23-15 Koutoubashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-8575, Japan"},{"name":"Toho University School of Medicine, 5-21-16 Oomorinishi, Oota-ku, Tokyo 143-8540, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Takanori","family":"Yokochi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., 2-4-11 Higashi Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-8637, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8209-1123","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mikio","family":"Murata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Yokohama University of Pharmacy, 601 Matanocho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 246-8589, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michiyo","family":"Nakahara","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Laboratory, Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital, 4-23-15 Koutoubashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-8575, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Naoki","family":"Hiroi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, 5-21-16 Oomorinishi, Oota-ku, Tokyo 143-8540, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hiroshi","family":"Fujita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Transfusion Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Bokutoh Hospital, 4-23-15 Koutoubashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-8575, Japan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"582","DOI":"10.1111\/trf.13900","article-title":"Drone transportation of blood products","volume":"57","author":"Amukele","year":"2017","journal-title":"Transfusion"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"(2021, June 18). 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Instrum.","DOI":"10.7243\/2052-6962-1-4"}],"container-title":["Drones"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2504-446X\/5\/3\/96\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T07:01:43Z","timestamp":1760166103000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2504-446X\/5\/3\/96"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,13]]},"references-count":25,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9]]}},"alternative-id":["drones5030096"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/drones5030096","relation":{},"ISSN":["2504-446X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2504-446X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,13]]}}}