- Advanced Life Support (ALS)
- Life-saving care that goes beyond basic life support: cardiac monitoring, IV medications and advanced airway management, provided by paramedics, nurses or physicians.
- ACLS
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support: protocols for treating cardiac emergencies such as cardiac arrest and stroke.
- Air ambulance
- An aircraft configured to carry a patient on a stretcher with medical equipment and a trained medical crew. Usually an airplane (fixed-wing) for long distances or a helicopter (rotor-wing) for short emergency trips.
- Air charter broker
- A company that arranges flights on behalf of customers using aircraft operated by certified air carriers. A broker does not own or operate aircraft.
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Care for life-threatening conditions until a patient reaches a hospital, such as CPR and oxygen, provided by EMTs and other trained responders.
- Bedside-to-bedside
- A transfer that includes the ground ambulance at both ends, so the patient goes from one bed to the next without the family arranging separate pieces.
- Commercial stretcher
- A stretcher installed on a scheduled airline flight, available on some international routes for stable patients who must lie flat.
- Direct air carrier
- The certified company that actually operates a flight and holds operational control and legal responsibility for it.
- ETA / ETD
- Estimated time of arrival / estimated time of departure.
- FAA
- Federal Aviation Administration: the U.S. agency that regulates civil aviation.
- FAR Part 135
- The Federal Aviation Regulations for on-demand and commuter operations, including air charter and air ambulance flights. Part 135 carriers meet stricter standards than private flights.
- Fixed-wing
- An airplane, as opposed to a helicopter (rotor-wing).
- Flight physiology
- How the body responds to altitude, cabin pressure and flight. Flight nurses and paramedics are trained in it.
- HIPAA release
- A signed authorization that lets doctors and hospitals share a patient's health information with others, such as transport providers and the receiving facility.
- Interfacility transfer
- Moving a patient from one hospital or care facility to another.
- Letter of medical necessity
- A letter from the treating doctor explaining why a transport is medically required; insurers often ask for it.
- Medevac
- Medical evacuation: moving a patient by air for medical reasons, often from a place where adequate care isn't available.
- Medical escort
- A nurse or paramedic who travels with a stable patient on a regular commercial flight.
- MICU
- Mobile intensive care unit: an ambulance or aircraft equipped to provide ICU-level care in transit.
- Receiving facility
- The hospital, rehab center or nursing home that accepts the patient. It must confirm a bed before an air ambulance can depart.
- Repatriation
- Returning a patient to their home country for care.
- Respiratory therapist (RT/RRT)
- A clinician who manages breathing support, including ventilators; added to flights for ventilated patients.
Last reviewed October 2026 by the Air Ambulance Central flight coordination team.