ECMO Support Cost in Bangalore, India

ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) is life support that pumps blood outside the body through an artificial lung to add oxygen, supporting the lungs or both the heart and lungs.

The American Lung Association lists uses including severe lung failure such as ARDS, severe pneumonia or pulmonary embolism, heart failure or cardiac arrest, problems after heart surgery or transplant, and as a bridge to transplant.

It notes that ECMO does not cure the heart or lung condition but gives the organs time to recover or allows another treatment to be arranged.

Bleeding is a key risk because blood thinners are needed to stop the circuit clotting. Blood clots, stroke, infection and equipment problems can also occur, according to the American Lung Association.

Support can last from a few days to several weeks.

Flying home: patients are cleared to travel only after recovery, and some need an air ambulance with medical staff, so check that travel insurance covers medical repatriation.

The cost of ECMO support 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 support is needed for only a short time, 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 support lasts many days, or complications or extra procedures are needed.

When comparing Bangalore packages for ECMO support, check whether each quote includes:

• Daily intensive care and ECMO team charges
• Circuit and consumables
• Blood products and tests
• Specialist fees

Bangalore hospitals usually put together an estimate for ECMO support from these elements:

• Daily intensive care and ECMO team: intensivist, perfusionist and nursing.
• Tests and blood products: frequent tests and transfusions.
• Admission deposit: which the hospital may request at the start.
• Type of ECMO: veno-venous or veno-arterial.
• Number of days on support: charged daily.
• Circuit and intensive care: disposables and specialist nursing.
• Underlying illness: and other treatments needed.

ECMO is charged mostly per day, so the total can rise well above the range shown if support continues for weeks. Ask about daily charges and deposits.

ECMO depends on an intensive care unit with a trained ECMO and perfusion team, so in Bengaluru it is concentrated in larger tertiary 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.