Norwood procedure Cost in Chennai, India

The cost of the Norwood procedure in Chennai typically ranges from $1,550 to $5,750 USD (about ₹1.47 lakh to ₹5.45 lakh), depending on the hospital, room category and type of procedure.

A typical estimate for the Norwood procedure in Chennai is around $2,850 (about ₹2.70 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 $1,550 (about ₹1.47 lakh). It is likely to be nearer $5,750 (about ₹5.45 lakh) if the repair is more complex or done in stages, or your child needs a longer stay in intensive care.

When comparing Chennai packages for the Norwood 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 Norwood procedure is the first of three operations for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, carried out in the first days of life to build a new main artery so the right side of the heart can pump blood to the body.

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne makes clear that in HLHS the left side of the heart is too small to pump blood to the body and that, without treatment, the condition is not survivable.

In the Norwood operation a new main artery is built from the pulmonary artery and the aortic arch is rebuilt, with blood reaching the lungs through a shunt or a tube from the right ventricle.

The Norwood is one of the highest-risk operations in children's heart surgery, and the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne records that up to 3 in 10 babies die between the first and second stages and approximately 4 in 10 do not survive to age 10.

Babies need close monitoring at home before the Glenn operation at about three months.

Fitness to fly: the UK Civil Aviation Authority's medical guidance suggests 10 to 14 days after heart or chest surgery before flying, so a stay of around three weeks in Chennai is realistic.

In Chennai, the price of the Norwood procedure is generally built from these parts:

• Pre-surgery assessment: echo, CT or cardiac MRI, and any catheter test.
• Theatre and perfusion: for operations that can last many hours.
• Paediatric cardiac ICU: normally the main source of variation.
• Baby: condition at birth.
• Lung blood flow: a shunt or conduit.
• Intensive care: a long stay.
• Home monitoring: between stages.

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 Chennai can cost more than the range above.

Children's heart surgery depends on a paediatric cardiac surgeon, a perfusion team and a paediatric cardiac intensive care unit working together, so check for all three in Chennai.

Hospitals in Chennai can hold NABH accreditation, India's national quality standard set by a board of the Quality Council of India and itself accredited by ISQua, and the NABH website shows whether an accreditation is still valid.

Joint Commission International (JCI) accredits a number of Indian hospitals, and its public directory lets you check whether a Chennai hospital on your shortlist is currently included.

Chennai International Airport, at Meenambakkam on the south-western side of the city, handles direct international flights, and most hospitals are a road journey away, so check the transfer time when you book.