Cardiac Arrest in India: what it actually costs

Sudden cardiac arrest can result in death if it is not treated quickly. With prompt, effective medical care, survival is possible. The likelihood of surviving until help arrives can be increased by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), utilizing a defibrillator, or even merely doing chest compressions. Symptoms Sudden cardiac arrest symptoms are quick and severe and include: Abrupt collapse. No pulse. Not breathing. Consciousness loss. Before the abrupt cardiac arrest, various indications and symptoms might appear. These might consist of: Chest Uncomfortable. Breathing difficulty. Weakness. A hammering, fluttering, or quickly beating heart (palpitations). But unexpected abrupt cardiac arrest frequently happens. Treatment Survival after a sudden cardiac arrest depends on quick response. CPR For the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest, immediate CPR is essential. Until more sophisticated emergency treatment is available, CPR can offer a crucial connection by keeping a flow of oxygen-rich blood to the body's important organs. Defibrillation Advanced treatment for ventricular fibrillation, a kind of arrhythmia that can result in a heart attack, often entails giving the heart an electrical shock via the chest wall. The defibrillation method temporarily pauses the heart and its erratic beat. This frequently enables the return of the regular heartbeat. Defibrillators are set up to identify ventricular fibrillation and only deliver a shock when necessary. AEDs, or portable defibrillators, are becoming more common in public locations including airports, shopping malls, casinos, fitness clubs, and elder and community centers. At emergency room The emergency department personnel will strive to stabilize your health as soon as you enter and address any potential cardiac problems including heart failure or an electrolyte imbalance. The rhythm of your heart may be stabilized with medicine. Long-term therapy Your doctor will go over with you or your family what additional tests could assist identify the reason for the heart arrest when you have recovered. In order to lower your chance of experiencing another cardiac arrest, your doctor will also go over preventative therapy choices with you. Possible treatments include: Drugs: Different anti-arrhythmic medications are used by doctors to treat arrhythmias or probable arrhythmia consequences long-term or as an emergency. People at risk of sudden cardiac arrest frequently use a category of drugs known as beta blockers. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and calcium channel blockers are other potential medications that might be utilized to treat the problem that caused the arrhythmia. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD): Your doctor will probably advise getting an ICD, a battery-operated device implanted close to your left collarbone after your condition has stabilized. Your heart is connected to the ICD via one or more electrode-tipped cables that go through veins. Your cardiac rhythm is continuously monitored by the ICD. It paces your heart like a pacemaker if it notices a beat that is too sluggish. It sends out low- or high-energy shocks to restore your heart's regular beat if it notices a potentially harmful shift in its rhythm. Coronary angioplasty: This operation unblocks clogged coronary arteries, improving blood flow to the heart and perhaps lowering the risk of life-threatening arrhythmia. A long, thin tube is inserted into a blocked artery in your heart through an artery, typically in your leg. A unique balloon tip of this catheter momentarily inflates to release the blocked artery. A metal mesh stent may also be placed into the artery at the same time to keep it open permanently and restore blood flow to your heart. When doctors do a cardiac catheterization to find constricted heart arteries, they can also perform coronary angioplasty at the same time. Coronary bypass surgery: Bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass grafting, involves attaching veins or arteries to a location outside of a blocked or constricted coronary artery to reestablish blood flow to your heart. This can enhance the blood flow to your heart and lessen the number of times your heart races. Radiofrequency catheter ablation: It is possible to block a single aberrant electrical route with this technique. Your blood arteries are penetrated by one or more catheters, which are then inserted within your heart. They are situated along electrical channels that your doctor has determined are responsible for your arrhythmia. Radiofrequency radiation is used to heat the electrodes at the tips of the catheters. This causes the electrical route that is causing your arrhythmia to become blocked, which stops your arrhythmia by destroying a tiny area of cardiac tissue. Corrective cardiac surgery: Surgery to fix the abnormalities may increase your heart rate and blood flow, lowering your risk of deadly arrhythmias if you have a congenital heart deformity, a damaged valve, or unhealthy heart muscle tissue as a result of cardiomyopathy.

What the price includes

  • Lead cardiac arrest surgeon and specialized surgical team fees
  • Operating theatre charges and consumable surgical packs
  • Dedicated post-operative inpatient room stay
  • Routine laboratory diagnostics, scans and pre-op clearance
  • In-hospital clinical medications and recovery nursing
  • Pre-departure follow-up consultation and fit-to-fly assessment

What it does not include

  • International return flights and baggage
  • Serviced accommodation and meals after discharge
  • Attendant and patient Indian medical visa processing
  • Management of incidental pre-existing conditions
  • Long-term medication refills in home country
  • Secondary home-country outpatient rehabilitation

What each hospital charges

Same clinical excellence across 5 accredited partner hospitals. Marlin charges no patient commission — figures are transparent official hospital estimates.

Medanta the Medicity
Delhi NCR • 20 days in hospital • lands at Delhi / Nearest Hub
NABH & JCI accreditedPrice agreed in advance
$200
fixed

Surgical

Nights in hospital20
Surgery techniqueMinimally Invasive
Senior specialist surgeonSenior Operating Faculty
Whole trip from Lagos
flights, hotel, visas
$2,010 – $2,140

Estimate your whole trip, not just the surgery

Flights, hotel, food and visas for the full 15 days — so the number you budget for is what you actually spend.

Your estimated total

$2,010 – $2,140

  • Surgery, hospital and care$200 fixed
  • Return flights (1 passenger)$920
  • Hotel & meals during recovery$810
  • Indian medical visas$80

The upper figure allows for a longer stay. The implant and surgery are fixed. Marlin adds nothing to any of these numbers.

Surgeons who do this operation every week

Senior consultants at JCI/NABH accredited centres with decades of dedicated procedural volume.

Dr. Ashok Rajgopal

Dr. Ashok Rajgopal

Senior Reconstructive Surgeon
40+ years · Medanta — The Medicity · Gurugram

Internationally recognized senior consultant with thousands of successful clinical procedures.

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Dr. S.K.S Marya

Dr. S.K.S Marya

Chairman of Department
35+ years · Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket · New Delhi

Globally renowned medical faculty with extensive international patient advisory tenure.

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Dr. Vinesh Mathur

Dr. Vinesh Mathur

Senior Specialist
28+ years · Medanta — The Medicity · Gurugram

Renowned expert with international fellowships and over 15,000 successful clinical procedures.

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What the three weeks actually look like

From sending your first medical scans to your fit-to-fly clearance.

  1. Before you fly

    Reports and a surgeon’s opinion

    Send your X-rays and medical history. Within 24–48 hours you get a named surgeon’s written opinion and a costed plan from each hospital you shortlist.

  2. Day 1–2

    Arrival and tests

    Airport pickup, hotel check-in and hospital consultation. Blood work, ECG, anaesthesia clearance and a fitness review are completed the same or next day.

  3. Day 3

    Surgery

    The operation takes 60–90 minutes per joint. You are moved to your private room the same day and stood up with support within 24 hours.

  4. Day 4–7

    Walking with physio

    Twice-daily physiotherapy in the ward. Most patients walk with a frame by day two after surgery and manage stairs before discharge.

  5. Day 8–21

    Recovery and review

    You stay near the hospital in a serviced hotel with outpatient physio, then a final review, stitch removal and fit-to-fly clearance before you travel home.

✓ Verified international patient

“I paid the hospital directly at the billing counter and the number matched the estimate Marlin sent me in Nairobi. Nobody asked me for a single extra shilling.”

Questions patients ask before they book

Essential details on payments, visa processing, language and post-operative flight permissions.

Who do I pay, and when?+
You pay the hospital directly, at their official billing counter, in Indian rupees or by international credit card. There is usually an advance deposit on admission and the balance settled at discharge. Marlin never handles your money and charges you zero fees.
What if the cost changes after I arrive?+
The hospital re-confirms the estimate after your in-person tests. It can only move if your surgeon discovers complications or you require an extra night in ICU. Anything above the written estimate must be explained to you in writing before it is billed — we sit in on that conversation.
How do I get an Indian medical visa?+
The treating hospital issues an official visa invitation letter once your surgeon reviews and accepts your reports. You apply online for an Indian e-Medical Visa with that letter, passport copies and proof of funds. Your companion applies for a Medical Attendant visa on the same letter.
Will the surgeon and hospital staff speak English?+
Yes, 100%. All medical education and hospital communication in premier Indian hospitals is conducted in English. Translators for Arabic, French, Russian and Swahili are also provided free of charge by the hospital international patient desk.
Can my attendant or family member stay in my room?+
Yes. In all private and deluxe hospital rooms, an attendant couch/bed is provided at no extra charge, allowing one family member to stay overnight with the patient throughout hospitalization.
When is it safe for me to fly back home?+
For joint replacements, surgeons typically issue a fit-to-fly clearance after suture removal and mobility verification at around Day 14 to 21 post-operation. We also provide compression stocking guidance and wheelchair assistance at Indira Gandhi International Airport.