Fontan procedures Cost in Bangalore, India

The Fontan procedure is usually the third planned operation for children born with only one working pumping chamber, sending blood from the lower body straight to the lungs without passing through the heart.

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne describes a staged approach for single ventricle conditions such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome: a Norwood operation or shunt in the first days or weeks of life, a Glenn operation at around three months, and a Fontan at around four to five years.

A catheter test is usually done first. During surgery, the vein from the lower body is connected to the lung arteries, often with a tube, and a small hole may be made to ease pressure.

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne explains the Fontan circulation can affect other organs over time, including the gut (protein-losing enteropathy), liver, kidneys and lungs.

Exercise capacity is usually lower than in other children, and lifelong specialist follow-up is needed.

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 Fontan procedure 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 the Fontan procedure, 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 Fontan procedure 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.
• Child's age: usually four to five years.
• Catheter test: before surgery.
• Intensive care: after surgery.
• Lifelong follow-up: heart, liver and gut 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.

If the hospital has an international patient desk, ask it about the hospital letter for your e-Medical visa, airport transfers, interpreters and accommodation close to the hospital.