Arterial Switch Operation Cost in Bangalore, India

The arterial switch operation corrects transposition of the great arteries, where the two main arteries leaving the heart are swapped, by moving them back to their normal positions in the first weeks of life.

Queensland Children's Health explains that in transposition the aorta and pulmonary artery are reversed, so oxygen-poor blood is pumped back to the body. Babies survive at first only because of natural openings that let blood mix.

A medicine called prostaglandin may keep the ductus open, and a balloon atrial septostomy may enlarge a hole between the upper chambers before surgery.

The arteries are switched to their correct positions and the coronary arteries moved to the new aorta, usually in the first few weeks of life.

Babies are cared for in intensive care afterwards. Lifelong follow-up checks the coronary arteries, valves and joins, and some children need further procedures.

Flying home: the UK Civil Aviation Authority's guidance for doctors recommends roughly 10 to 14 days after heart or chest surgery before air travel, so allow about three weeks in Bangalore overall.

The cost of the arterial switch operation in Bangalore typically ranges from $570 to $5,450 USD (about ₹54,100 to ₹5.17 lakh), depending on the hospital, room category and type of procedure.

What you pay depends mainly on your own case. If the repair is planned and your child needs only a short stay in intensive care, your bill is likely to be closer to $570 (about ₹54,100). It is likely to be nearer $5,450 (about ₹5.17 lakh) if the repair is more complex or done in stages, or your child needs a longer stay in intensive care.

When comparing Bangalore packages for the arterial switch operation, check whether each quote includes:

• Surgeon and anaesthetist fees
• Operating theatre or procedure room
• Paediatric intensive care days
• Pre-operative scans and catheter studies
• Hospital stay and room category
• Medicines and consumables
• Follow-up visits before you fly home

Bangalore hospitals usually put together an estimate for the arterial switch operation from these elements:

• Pre-operative work-up: echo, CT or cardiac MRI and catheter studies.
• Theatre and perfusion team: for long paediatric operations.
• Paediatric intensive care: often the largest variable cost.
• Baby's age and condition: timing.
• Pre-surgery treatment: prostaglandin or septostomy.
• Intensive care: after surgery.
• Lifelong follow-up: coronary and valve checks.

Children's heart surgery costs depend on the baby's age and condition, the intensive care stay and any further operations, so complex cases can cost more than the range above.

Surgery for congenital heart disease needs a paediatric cardiac surgeon, a paediatric cardiac intensive care unit and a perfusion team on one site, so confirm all three when shortlisting Bengaluru hospitals.

Accreditation by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH), part of the Quality Council of India, is India's main hospital quality standard, and the NABH website shows whether a Bangalore hospital's accreditation is current.

Some Bengaluru hospitals also hold Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation, an international standard, and JCI's public directory lets you confirm a hospital's status before you book.

Patients travelling from abroad can apply online for India's e-Medical visa, and accompanying family members for an e-Medical Attendant visa; check the current conditions on the official Indian visa portal before booking.