World’s 1st lung transplant delivered by an unmanned drone in Toronto, hospital network says

University Health Network and Unither Bioelectronique say they have completed the world’s first lung transplant delivered by an unmanned drone.

The Toronto healthcare group and Bromont, Que. bioengineering company say the drone carrying lungs travelled from Toronto Western Hospital to Toronto General Hospital on Sept. 25.

The journey lasted six minutes and was completed around 1 a.m. local time.

UHN surgeon-in-chief Dr. Shaf Keshavjee says the recipient was a male engineer with an interest in drones and his transplant went well.

Unither Bioelectronique chose Toronto General Hospital to be part of the historic moment because it completed the world’s first lung transplant in 1983 and the first double lung transplant in 1986.

The lung delivery comes as tech companies are racing to courier organs by drone after some U.S. firms made successful flights with kidneys, corneas and a pancreas.