Abstract: Objective To summarize the experience of air rescue for critically ill patients during massive flood in Zhengzhou on July 20th, 2021, and provide reference for aviation rescue. Methods Aviation rescue organizing panels and aviation rescue team were established; the capacity and infrastructure of each ward were evaluated, and the aviation rescue transfer process was constructed to clarify the division of labor and the transfer route, the handover, and deal with the safety management of emergency disposal. Result Twenty-four patients were transferred, most of the patients suffered from coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, heart valve disease, congenital heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases. After 8.5 hours of air transportation, all patients were safely delivered to the related department. Conclusion Sound air rescue foundation, refined rescue preparations, professional air transshipment teams, standard air transshipment procedures, and clear division of labor and teamwork have provided safety guarantees for the air rescue.

Key words: catastrophic flood, air rescue, transshipment, critical illness