Glenn procedure Cost in Bangalore, India

The Glenn procedure (bidirectional cavopulmonary connection) joins the vein from the upper body directly to the lung arteries, usually as the second planned operation for children with one working pumping chamber.

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne explains that the Glenn connects the veins carrying blood from the upper body directly to the lung arteries, so blood from the head and arms reaches the lungs without passing through the heart.

It is usually done at around three months of age after an MRI scan, and any earlier shunt is usually taken down during the operation.

Children usually remain somewhat blue after the Glenn, because blood from the lower body still returns to the heart without passing through the lungs.

The Fontan operation is usually done later, often at around four to five years, to complete the plan.

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 Glenn 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 Glenn 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 Glenn 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 about three months.
• MRI or catheter: before surgery.
• Heart-lung machine: during surgery.
• Intensive care: after surgery.

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.