According to the World Heart Federation, 17.9 million people lose their lives because of cardiovascular diseases annually. Out of those, 80% of the deaths are caused by heart attacks, predominantly due to blockages and fat deposition.
Amidst all the popular countries for heart bypass surgery, namely Malaysia, Singapore, etc., India ranks at #4 for specializing in high-end bypass surgeries at inexpensive costs for medical tourists. The majority of the westerners who travelled to India for heart bypass surgeries and other similar treatments report saving over 75% in expenses.
Larger medical tourism cities, including Chennai and Noida, occupy mostly foreigners in their hospital beds. Popular facilities like Asian Heart Institute pose as a leading health institute for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Table of Contents
- What is a Heart Bypass Surgery?
- How to Prepare for Heart Bypass Surgery in India?
- What to expect While Considering Heart Bypass Surgery in India?
- Why Choose India for Heart Bypass Surgery?
- Alternatives of Heart Bypass Surgery
- What is the cost of Heart Bypass Surgery in India?
- What is a Heart Bypass Surgery?
Heart bypass surgery is a surgical procedure for improving blood flow to the heart.
The surgery is alternatively called a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The procedure grafts blood vessels from separate areas of the body to bypass the blocked and damaged coronary arteries. The left internal mammary artery is the most commonly used for grafting.
Additionally, the surgery is performed when the patient’s coronary arteries are blocked or wholly damaged. Since the coronary arteries supply oxygenated blood to the heart, The blockage or damage leads to the heart’s restricted blood supply, posing risks of heart attacks.
There are four different types of heart bypass surgery, including:
- Single bypass
- Double bypass
- Triple bypass
- Quadruple bypass
- How to Prepare for Heart Bypass Surgery in India?
If your native doctor diagnoses coronary artery blockages and suggests a bypass surgery, they will provide a complete list of instructions.For medical tourists coming to India for the surgery, you need to follow a few documentation, physical and mental preparation before the procedure.
In case the surgery isn’t immediate, there are a few pre-operative steps involved too. The surgeon will likely enquire about your medical history and daily habits.
But, on your part, here are a few things that you need to prepare for before the surgery.
Carry important documents
Having all the documents handy is necessary. This ensures smoother progress to the treatment for the medical tourists.
As for the important documents that you need to carry, they include:
- Passport (scanned copy)
- Medical visa
- Hospital letter (where the surgery will be done)
- Applicant’s photograph
- Proof of residential address (where you are from)
- Proof of health insurance details (if there is any)
- Recommendation letter from the doctor in your country (preferably the one who diagnosed you)
- Previous medical reports (for ease of understanding of the medical history)
- Scanned passport of the attendant (with residential proof)
Prepare yourself mentally and physically
With the higher success rate of the surgery comes the precautions that the patient needs to take.
If you are finalised for surgery, you need to prepare your mental and physical health promptly. The surgery is complicated, no doubt about that, but you need to be optimistic about the situation.
Join support groups to get a reality check on things and to stabilize yourself mentally.
If you smoke, you need to let go of that habit immediately. During the surgery, your organs need to be in optimal functioning to ensure a higher success rate. Smoking inadvertently affects your organs in the long-run. Another essential precaution is to stop taking blood-thinning medications. These are some of the standard instructions that your surgeon will clarify with you.
Know about the treatment
Familiarizing yourself with the steps in the treatment is important. Consult your doctor to give you a better picture about every last detail of the treatment – ranging from the precautions, duration of hospitalization and the costs involved.
Prepare yourself to be present for every step involved. It is a strenuous process, so knowing what everything entails is a good way to proceed with the treatment.
- What to Expect While Considering Heart Bypass Surgery in India?
India poses as a leading medical hub for heart bypass treatment with a success rate of 98%.If you want quality treatment at affordable prices, India is the best choice. There are several factors that you can expect while preparing for the treatment and post-operative care.
Here are a few things you can expect when choosing India for your surgery.
Preparing for the treatment
The doctor will initiate the procedure with regular tests to check the current health of the patient.
They will explain the procedure and clarify all the benefits and consequences associated with the process.
Even if you have reports of prior blood tests, your doctor in India will ask for a rework. It is to get the latest details of the condition and the percentage of blockage in the coronary artery.
These tests provide the surgeon with a current and accurate state of your health. Some of the standard tests include:
- Chest X-ray
- Blood tests (depending on the doctor’s advice)
- ECG and (or) EKG
- Angiogram
After treatment
Indians are known for their hospitality, so don’t be surprised at the generosity of the post-operative care.
The hospital assigns nurses, therapists, and doctors for a prompt recovery. Doctors will ensure that you feel minimal pain and be on the road to recovery. The patients get instructions for follow-up care and medications that they need to take for better health in the coming days.
Recovery timeline
The recovery timeline is dependent on several factors – age, comorbidities, and other risk factors involved. Patients are typically discharged three days to a week after the surgery, depending on how stable the vitals are.
The medical team in India also provides clear instructions for taking care of your incision wounds. With fewer complications, a patient with heart bypass surgery takes up to 12 weeks to recover. The timeline could be more, varying from individuals to individuals.
- Why Choose India for Heart Bypass Surgery?
India is a leading country for cardiovascular treatments for medical tourists, and here are a few reasons why.
Skilled Doctors- India has the renowned and leading list of cardiologists, anesthesiologists, and perfusionists (heart-lung bypass machine specialists).Precise skills and the latest medical infrastructure including the Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting (EVH) equipment poses this as a good country to proceed with the treatment.
The hospitality and post-operative care by the hospital staff and doctors help with faster recovery.
Affordable costs- India offers the best infrastructure for the heart bypass surgery at an inexpensive cost. While western countries like the U.S can easily bill $50,000 for the treatment, the cost for the same is 1/10th in India.
No Language barrier- 10% of the Indian population speaks English, the majority of which includes the doctors. If you are traveling from a western country, language won’t be a barrier for you or your doctor. In case the patient speaks a different foreign language, hospitals are also arranging for translators to ensure seamless communication.
Safety in Covid situation- With the world in the grasp of the novel coronavirus, medical tourists are afraid of undergoing decisive treatments. Indian hospitals bridge that worry by ensuring prompt care and consistent sanitization of the hospital multiple times a day.
Tests are conducted rapidly before every treatment to ensure maximum safety for the patients and doctors.
Ease of Medical Visa- Obtaining a medical visa for medical tourists coming to India is easy and inexpensive. We are experienced in providing prompt e-Medical visas to patients to need immediate treatment. The documentation process is done at your ease.
- Alternatives of Heart Bypass Surgery
If the rate of damage to your coronary artery is not that severe, doctors suggest opting for the alternatives to the surgery.
There are a few important ones, including medications and healthy diets, but let’s focus on the two most common alternatives.
Enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP)- It is an outpatient procedure that doesn’t require hospital admission. In the process, the doctors compress the blood vessels in the lower limbs. It causes a surge in blood pressure, improving the blood flow to the heart.
Performing this frequently develops a “natural bypass” to the heart by developing new branches of blood vessels.
Balloon Angioplasty- It involves inserting a tube through the blocked artery, which carries a balloon that inflates the artery walls. Once the necessary inflation is achieved, the tube and balloon are removed, and a stent is placed in its position that prevents the blocked artery from contracting back to its original shape.
It prevents the risks of further blockage in the coronary arteries.
- What is the cost of Heart Bypass surgery in India?
Comparative analysis suggests that heart bypass surgery cost in India amounts to INR 2,30,000 (approximately).
The numbers can vary depending on the hospitals and the kind of care one is under. It can also vary depending on the hospital the patient is in along with the duration of the hospitalization. The grade of hospital room and the accessory pathology and medicine bills can further add to the cost.
Take Away
India is a rise in shining armor for heart patients. This country is your safest bet if you want to incur inexpensive and quality treatment, especially concerning heart bypass surgery. Higher success rate and evolving medical infrastructure gleam India as the best spot for the medical tourists looking for satisfactory treatment.
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