| Heart transplant surgery in India costs much lower | | | | devices. A team of physicians, nurses, and |
| than traditional hospitals in developed countries and | | | | technicians goes to the hospital of the donor to |
| in most cases, lower than other developing | | | | remove donated organs once brain death of the |
| countries. Price advantage is, of course, a major | | | | donor has been determined. The removed organs |
| selling point. The cost differential across the board | | | | are transported on ice to keep them alive until |
| is huge: only a tenth and sometimes even a | | | | they can be implanted. For the heart, this is |
| sixteenth of the cost in the West. It is commonly | | | | optimally less than six hours. So, the organs are |
| known that most top Indian doctors have top | | | | often flown by airplane or helicopter to the |
| class education including training/education from | | | | recipient's hospital. The second operation is |
| American institutions. Add to that the world-class | | | | removing the recipient's damaged heart. Removing |
| technology and 5 star facilities and what patient | | | | the damaged heart may be very easy or very |
| have is a more convenient option with an almost | | | | difficult, depending on whether the recipient has |
| free holiday. If a patient or a loved one has a | | | | had previous heart surgery (as is often the case). |
| health problem that is causing concern about the | | | | If there has been previous surgery, cutting |
| cost and quality of available care, patient can | | | | through the scar tissue may prolong and |
| consider the excellent, high-quality treatment | | | | complicate removal of the heart. The third |
| options available to patient in India for heart | | | | operation is probably the easiest; the implantation |
| transplant surgery at a fraction of the cost in a | | | | of the donor heart. Today, this operation basically |
| U.S. hospital. India is a leading player in the medical | | | | involves the creation of only five lines of stitches, |
| tourism industry. It is increasingly emerging as the | | | | or "anastomoses". These suture lines connect the |
| destination of choice for a wide range of medical | | | | large blood vessels entering and leaving the heart. |
| procedures. | | | | Remarkably, if there are no complications, most |
| | | | | patients who have had a heart transplant are |
| What is heart transplant surgery? | | | | home about one week after the surgery. The |
| | | | | generosity of donors and their families makes |
| Believe it or not, heart transplantation is a | | | | organ transplant possible. |
| relatively simple operation for a cardiac surgeon. | | | | |
| In fact, the procedure actually consists of three | | | | Several superspeciality hospitals in India offer |
| operations. The first operation is harvesting the | | | | comprehensive cardio logical services and are |
| heart from the donor. The donor is usually an | | | | equipped with world class endoscopy instruments |
| unfortunate person who has suffered irreversible | | | | and machinery to diagnose diseases and |
| brain injury, called "brain death". Very often these | | | | conditions. The surgical equipments are also |
| are patients who have had major trauma to the | | | | installed at hospitals and this equipment diagnoses |
| head, for example, in an automobile accident. The | | | | medical conditions. Here, investigation and |
| victim's organs, other than the brain, are working | | | | treatment facilities for cardiology are also available. |
| well with the help of medications and other "life | | | | In India facilities for the heart transplant surgery is |
| support" that may include a respirator or other | | | | available at a comparative less price. |