Child Heart Surgery in India: A Guide for Families from Bangladesh

The most common defects we see

Ventricular septal defect (VSD), atrial septal defect (ASD), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), tetralogy of Fallot, atrioventricular canal defect and transposition of the great arteries account for the majority of children referred to us from Dhaka, Chattogram and Sylhet.

Many are correctable with a single operation in early childhood, and the earlier the referral, the simpler the repair.

Warning signs that should prompt a cardiac opinion

• Blue tinge to lips or fingertips, worse when crying
• Breathlessness or sweating during feeds; the baby stops and restarts repeatedly
• Poor weight gain despite adequate feeding
• Repeated chest infections
• A murmur heard by your paediatrician, or squatting episodes in an older child

What treatment costs

Indicative package costs at accredited Indian centres: device closure of ASD or PDA 3,500–5,500 USD; surgical VSD closure 4,500–6,500; tetralogy of Fallot total repair 6,000–8,500; arterial switch for TGA 7,500–12,000; complex single-ventricle staged procedures from 9,000 upward.

These packages usually include surgeon and anaesthetist fees, operating theatre, ICU and ward stay, routine investigations and standard consumables.

Visa and travel from Dhaka

Bangladeshi nationals apply for a Medical Visa at the Indian Visa Application Centre with the hospital invitation letter, passport, photographs and financial proof. Two attendants can accompany the child on Medical Attendant Visas.

Direct flights from Dhaka to Delhi take around two and a half hours. We arrange airport pickup and, where the child is fragile, an ambulance transfer straight to the hospital.

How long you should plan to stay

Simple device closures: 7 to 10 days. Open-heart repairs such as VSD closure or tetralogy repair: 3 to 4 weeks. Neonatal or complex repairs: 4 to 6 weeks. We book accommodation in weekly blocks so families are not locked into a longer stay than the child needs.

Choosing the surgeon, not just the hospital

In congenital cardiac surgery, results track the individual surgeon's annual volume more closely than the hospital brand. Ask how many of your child's specific operation the surgeon performs each year.

Our pediatric cardiac panel in Delhi NCR includes Dr. Krishna S Iyer, Dr. Kulbhushan Singh Dagar, Dr. Rajesh Sharma, Dr. Neeraj Awasthy and Dr. Ashutosh Marwah — among the most experienced congenital heart teams in South Asia.