Fontan Conversion Cost in Bangalore, India

Fontan conversion surgery changes an older type of Fontan connection into a newer one, usually an extracardiac conduit, often with rhythm surgery, for people who develop heart rhythm problems or other complications years after their first Fontan.

A single-centre Korean study of 21 patients, published in PubMed Central, explains that older atriopulmonary Fontan connections can lead to a stretched right upper chamber, irregular heart rhythms and clots.

Most patients in the study had the older connection changed to an extracardiac conduit, a tube carrying blood from the lower body straight to the lungs. Some also had rhythm surgery and some needed a pacemaker.

The study reported no deaths at the time of surgery, and survival of 92.3% at five years and 83.1% at ten years.

Irregular rhythm returned in 6 of 21 patients, and conversion did not appear to improve protein loss from the gut. As a small study, its results may not apply to every centre.

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 Fontan conversion surgery in Bangalore typically ranges from $1,700 to $6,350 USD (about ₹1.61 lakh to ₹6.02 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 $1,700 (about ₹1.61 lakh). It is likely to be nearer $6,350 (about ₹6.02 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 Fontan conversion surgery, 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 Fontan conversion surgery 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.
• Patient's age and condition: the risk.
• Rhythm surgery: maze or ablation.
• Pacemaker: if needed.
• Intensive care: after surgery.

Children's heart surgery costs depend on the child'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.

International patients usually arrive at Kempegowda International Airport, which lies north of the city, so allow for road travel time to hospitals in southern and eastern Bengaluru.