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More than half a million coronary bypass surgeries are performed worldwide, with a 98 percent success rate.
A healthy human heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood every day. When one of the larger main arteries becomes narrowed or blocked, it may need to undergo coronary bypass surgery.
With India fast evolving as a hub for high-end healthcare services, medical tourists worldwide prefer to avail themselves of treatments and surgical procedures in India. Continue reading about heart bypass surgery procedures, the availability of treatment options, costs, and more.
What is the Cost of Heart Bypass Surgery in different cities in India?
The heart bypass surgery cost in India starts from INR 1,50,000. It may vary depending on the number of blocked arteries, your medical history, age, surgeon, hospital, and the city where you would like to get your treatment done.
What is Heart Bypass Surgery? What are its types?
Heart bypass surgery is a surgical procedure where a part of a healthy artery from inside the chest wall or lower leg is removed and attached at the ends of the graft below the blocked heart artery. The new route enhances blood flow around a blocked artery, improving the function of a diseased heart.
Depending on the number of arteries blocked, your surgeon may advise the type of surgery as described below:
- Single Bypass: When only one artery is clogged.
- Double Bypass: When two arteries are blocked.
- Triple Bypass: When three arteries are blocked.
- Quadruple Bypass: When all four arteries are clogged.
What Health Conditions Necessitate Heart Bypass Surgery?
Heart bypass surgery is one of your reasonable options when you have one or more blocked arteries in your heart. Other health conditions may demand heart bypass surgery, and they are:
- When you have a blocked left main heart artery that sends blood to the heart muscle.
- When there is a severe narrowing of the main heart artery.
- When you suffer serious chest pain due to narrowed heart arteries, it reduces blood flow to the heart.
- When you have more than one blocked artery and the heart’s left lower chamber doesn’t function properly.
- When coronary angioplasty with or without a stent fails.
What Are The Complications of Heart Bypass Surgery?
Although older patients are at high-risk post-surgery, the risk is also high for people with other severe health ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, renal disease, or lung disease. The risks related to this surgical procedure are described below:
- Blood Clots: There are chances of the formation of blood clots post-surgery that may lead to a heart attack or other pulmonary issues.
- Infection: Although this type of risk is rare, infection, swelling, or bleeding may occur at the spot of the surgical incision where the chest was opened.
- Renal Failure: This type of risk is transitory, but the surgery may affect the patient’s kidneys.
- Anesthesia: There might be chances of temporary anesthesia-related side effects like breathing difficulties.
- Other Risks: Many people reportedly suffer trouble thinking after surgery that went well after a year to six months. Also, in-hospital deaths after surgery are rare. In most cases, a heart attack or stroke is to blame. You may also face lung-related complications.
What Are The Long-Term Health Benefits Of Heart Bypass Surgery?
Like any other surgery, heart bypass surgery also has some potential benefits, and they are:
- You become less prone to stroke
- Fewer heart rhythm problems
- Lesser problems with memory loss or trouble thinking
- Lower death rate
- Little or no chest discomfort
- Lesser breathing difficulties
What Are The Key Factors that Affect the Heart Bypass Surgery Cost in India?
The cost of heart bypass surgery in India may vary depending on various factors, including:
- Surgical Procedure: As discussed above, there are four types of heart bypass surgeries. The surgical procedure takes place depending on the number of blocked arteries. Also, traditional open-heart surgery costs more than minimally invasive surgery and requires a shorter hospital stay and a faster recovery period.
- Location and Infrastructure: The location and infrastructure of the hospital contribute to the entire cost. Hospitals in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru offer ultra-modern infrastructure, but they deliver medical services at slightly higher prices.
- Surgeon’s Fees and Expertise: As heart bypass surgery is a complicated procedure; it needs to be done by a well-experienced surgeon. Hence, surgeons with more experience may charge a bit more.
- Diagnostic Tests and Procedures: There are cases where diagnostic tests and procedures may be necessary before or after the surgery. These tests also add to the entire cost of the procedure.
- Advanced Tools: Surgeons prefer to perform surgical procedures using the latest, advanced technology. The use of advanced tools also adds to the overall cost. As heart bypass surgery is a major procedure, it would demand the use of advanced tools to control the blood flow in the grafts.
- Anesthesia: The cost of anesthesia is also added to the procedure, and it may vary depending on the type of anesthesia used and the total time of the surgery. In this case, general anesthesia is preferable as compared to a local one, and it is slightly more expensive. Moreover, it also requires a well-experienced anesthesiologist.
Additionally, some other factors may add to the overall cost of the procedure, such as travel charges if you’re traveling from another country or city, accommodation, visa fees if you are a medical tourist, airfares, the cost of medications, and post-operative follow-up visits, to mention a few.
Top 5 Heart Surgeons in India
India is home to highly-qualified, well-experienced heart surgeons who are updated with the latest, advanced technology to deliver the best possible treatment to their patients. Following are some of the best heart surgeons in India based on their academic qualifications, years of clinical experience, and areas of expertise.
- Dr. Robert Rao: Dr. Robert Rao is a well-known Interventional Cardiologist with over 25 years of clinical experience. He specializes in heart valve replacement, open-heart surgery, and vascular surgery, to mention a few.
- Dr. K. K. Saxena: Dr. K. K. Saxena is a renowned Interventional Cardiologist practicing for over 36 years. His areas of expertise are balloon dilation of mitral valves and pacemaker implantation.
- Dr. Bhaba Nanda Das: Dr. Das is a leading Cardiac Surgeon who has been practicing for nearly four decades. He has performed more than 20,000 surgeries to date. He holds expertise in Double Valve Replacement, Aortic Valve Replacement, and Aortic Aneurysm Surgery, to mention a few.
- Dr. Vijay Dikshit: Dr. Dikshit is one of the most highly-experienced Cardiac surgeons based in Hyderabad. He has over 40 years of experience in his field of specialization. He has performed nearly 6,000 open heart surgeries to date. He specializes in performing organ transplantation, Peripheral Angioplasty, Heart Valve Replacement, and Pacemaker Implantation.
- Dr. Anoop Ganjoo: Dr. Ganjoo is a well-experienced Cardiac Surgeon with nearly 26 years of experience. He holds expertise in Diffuse CAD, Mitral Valve Repair, and Adult Cardiothoracic Surgery.
The Bottom Line:
Heart bypass surgery is a major life-saving procedure that needs to be considered carefully, including its cost. While the cost of heart bypass surgery in India may vary depending on various factors, it is still a budget-friendly option compared to other developed countries.
