Ventilator and ECMO Air Ambulance Transfer in India

Short answer: yes, a patient on a ventilator or on ECMO can be moved between hospitals by chartered air ambulance, if the treating team agrees the patient can be transported and a trained critical-care team flies with them. We arrange these transfers bed-to-bed across India, with a critical-care doctor on board and ground ambulances at both ends. Since 2016 we have done more than 250 ECMO initiations and transfers.

Who needs a ventilator or ECMO air transfer?

• Patients with severe lung failure (for example ARDS or severe pneumonia) who need a centre with ECMO or a lung transplant programme
• Heart failure or cardiogenic shock patients moving to a cardiac centre
• Patients waiting for a heart or lung transplant
• Ventilated patients who need specialist care not available in their city

How an ECMO or ventilator air transfer works

1. Medical review. Our doctor speaks to the treating doctor and reads the latest reports. Together they decide whether the patient can be moved safely.
2. Receiving hospital. The destination hospital confirms an ICU bed and the receiving team.
3. Team and equipment. For ECMO, the team includes an intensivist, a perfusionist, a paramedic and a specialist doctor. On board: transport ventilator, ECMO console with backup, monitors, infusion pumps, blood products if needed, and oxygen for the full journey with a margin.
4. Bed-to-bed. ICU ground ambulance to the airport, the flight, and ICU ground ambulance to the receiving hospital, with the same team throughout.
5. Handover. The team hands over to the receiving ICU with a written transfer report.

What does it cost?

A ventilator or ICU air transfer within India costs about Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh depending on the route, all-inclusive. For ECMO, there is an additional ECMO initiation charge of about Rs 4 to 8 lakh on top of the chartered flight. We give a written quote for each case. See route prices in our cost guide.

Questions families ask

Is it safe to fly a patient on ECMO?

With a trained team, the right equipment and careful planning, ECMO patients are flown between hospitals in India and abroad. The treating and receiving doctors decide together whether the transfer is safe for your patient.

Can a patient be put on ECMO before the flight?

The receiving hospital’s team assesses the patient’s condition before the flight and then advises whether ECMO or another form of support is needed for the transfer.

How fast can it be arranged?

It depends on the patient’s condition, the aircraft and the receiving hospital. Call us and we will tell you the earliest safe departure time.

Can family travel with the patient?

Not on ECMO flights. The ECMO equipment and the larger medical team take up all the space on the aircraft, so family members travel separately. On ventilator and other ICU flights without ECMO, up to 2 family members can fly with the patient at no extra cost.

Call 080 6500 6179 to speak to our critical-care team.