Fontan Conversion Cost in New Delhi, India

The cost of Fontan conversion surgery in New Delhi typically ranges from $1,900 to $7,000 USD (about ₹1.80 lakh to ₹6.64 lakh), depending on the hospital, room category and type of procedure.

A typical estimate for Fontan conversion surgery in New Delhi is around $3,500 (about ₹3.32 lakh). 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 $1,900 (about ₹1.80 lakh). It is likely to be nearer $7,000 (about ₹6.64 lakh) if the repair is more complex or done in stages, or your child needs a longer stay in intensive care.

When comparing New Delhi 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

Fontan conversion surgery changes an older type of Fontan connection into a newer one, usually an extracardiac conduit and 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, and some also had rhythm surgery or needed a pacemaker.

The study reported no deaths around the time of surgery, with 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 seem to improve protein loss from the gut, and as a small study its results may not apply to every centre.

Fit-to-fly window: UK Civil Aviation Authority guidance for health professionals suggests about 10 to 14 days after heart or chest surgery, so plan around three weeks in Delhi.

A Delhi estimate for Fontan conversion surgery is usually built from these parts:

• Tests before surgery: echo, CT or cardiac MRI and catheter studies.
• Theatre and perfusion: for long paediatric operations.
• Paediatric cardiac ICU: usually the most variable cost.
• Patient: age and condition.
• 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 in Delhi can cost more than the range above.

Congenital heart surgery needs a paediatric cardiac surgeon, perfusion team and paediatric cardiac intensive care under one roof, so check all three when shortlisting Delhi NCR hospitals.

India's national hospital standard is set by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH), a constituent board of the Quality Council of India whose standards are accredited by ISQua; you can check a Delhi hospital's current NABH status on the NABH website.

Delhi has a long record with international accreditation: India's first hospital to receive Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation, in July 2005, is in New Delhi, and JCI keeps a public list of accredited organisations.

International patients usually arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport in south-west Delhi; allow for road travel time, as hospitals are spread across Delhi and the neighbouring NCR cities.