Fontan procedures Cost in New Delhi, India

The cost of the Fontan procedure 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 the Fontan procedure 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 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

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 plan for single ventricle conditions such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome: a Norwood operation or a 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 usually comes first, and during surgery the vein from the lower body is joined to the lung arteries, often with a tube, sometimes with a small hole made to ease pressure.

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne explains that 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.

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 the Fontan procedure 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.
• Child: usually aged four to five.
• Catheter test: before surgery.
• Intensive care: after surgery.
• Follow-up: lifelong heart, liver and gut checks.

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.

Ask the hospital's international patient desk, where one exists, whether it provides the hospital letter for the e-Medical visa application, airport pickup, interpreters and help with nearby accommodation.