JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

In the process of medical rescue, the helicopters must quickly and accurately determine the target location, cooperate closely with ground medical personnel, maintain stability during high-speed flight, and achieve real-time data transmission and efficient medical treatment during medical rescue. The highly developed 5G communication technology is essential to achieve the aforementioned objectives.

Objective:

This study aimed to explore the application of 5G key technologies in helicopter aviation medical rescue.

Methods:

This study used retrospective analysis to statistically analyze 11 aviation medical rescue cases at the Shenzhen University General Hospital from November 2019 to March 2023. To assess the time and efficiency of the rescue, we paid attention to the data such as flight time, distance, disease types, and rescue scenarios. The application of 5G low-altitude network communication technology, body area network disease sensing technology and 5G air-ground collaborative rapid diagnosis and treatment technology in aeromanical rescue was contrasted and explored.

Results:

The helicopter rescue flight distance was 60–600 kilometers, and the flight time was 10–136 min. The study used a 5G private network and 5G module vital sign monitoring equipment. The low-altitude 5G network had high communication quality and high-precision localization by the domestically produced Beidou. The air body area network technology used multi-pose mannequins, depth learning estimation algorithm, and encryption algorithm information entropy 7.9993. The encryption time was short. The 5G air-to-ground collaborative rapid diagnosis and treatment technology supported 5G direct connection, with a packet loss rate of 0.2%, and achieved 1080P high-definition multi-party remote consultation.

Conclusions:

The combination of helicopter rescue and 5G technology could significantly improve rescue efficiency, shorten response time, and achieve a remote diagnosis. The quality of low-altitude 5G network communication was high, and the domestic Beidou satellite high-precision positioning technology supported precise rescue. The airborne body area network disease perception technology adopted advanced human channel models and encryption algorithms to ensure timely and secure information. The 5G air-to-ground collaborative rapid diagnosis and treatment technology enabled high-quality remote consultation. Applying these innovative technologies might significantly enhance the ability of emergency medical rescue and provide strong support for future rescue operations.