During a physiological incident, which action is specified regarding life support equipment after touchdown?

• A. Leave life support equipment connected until met by flight surgeon
• B. Disconnect life support equipment immediately
• C. Remove life support equipment before landing
• D. Deactivate life support equipment during taxi

Answer: (A)

When a patient is on life support during a physiological incident, the priority is to maintain continuous life-sustaining care until medical professionals assume responsibility. After touchdown, that means leaving the life support equipment connected and continuing monitoring until the flight surgeon arrives to take over care. Prematurely disconnecting or deactivating devices can rapidly compromise ventilation, oxygenation, or monitoring, risking patient deterioration during the critical handoff to hospital staff. Keeping the equipment in place ensures a safe, seamless transition, preserves alarms and data, and allows the flight surgeon to assess and transfer the patient with full medical support already in place.