Klinikum Kassel and Agaplesion Diakonie Kliniken Kassel have begun operational test flights with Swiss drone company Jedsy to transport time-critical tissue samples to the Klinikum Kassel pathology institute. The initial route links the Diakonie Kliniken with the pathology laboratory, with live transport of samples scheduled to begin in early November. The approximately four-kilometre flight is expected to take only a few minutes, replacing taxi journeys that can take up to 20 minutes.
The drone will carry “Schnellschnitte” — tissue removed during an ongoing operation, often from a tumour, for rapid pathological examination. Surgeons use the findings to determine the extent and next stage of an operation while the patient remains under anaesthesia. The clinics expect the overall process to fall from about one hour to approximately 20 minutes.
Current calibration and test flights are assessing the route, handover procedures and coordination between the hospitals and Jedsy. The aircraft will operate at roughly 60 metres above the city and use a docking station mounted at a window or building wall for loading, unloading and charging. Planned operations are limited to weekday daytime flights. The Marienkrankenhaus is connected to the project and is intended to join the network at a later stage.