Before you travel: weeks -4 to 0
Most of the groundwork for cardiac surgery in India happens before you ever board a flight. A typical pre-travel sequence looks like this:
- Initial enquiry and case review: You share your diagnosis, existing reports (angiogram, echo, ECG), and medical history. A cardiac specialist reviews the case remotely, usually within 24-48 hours.
- Treatment plan and quote: The hospital confirms the recommended procedure, surgeon, and a firm cost estimate. This is the point to ask every question you have — nothing should be vague at this stage.
- Medical visa application: Your facilitator prepares the hospital's invitation letter and supporting documents for the M-Visa (and MX-Visa for any companion). See our full visa guide for the document checklist.
- Travel and accommodation planning: Flights are booked around your admission date, and recovery accommodation is arranged near the hospital for the post-discharge period.
Day-by-day: admission to discharge
Arrival & airport transfer
You're met at the airport and transferred directly to the hospital or recovery accommodation. A coordinator confirms your admission schedule for the following day.
Pre-operative work-up
Blood work, imaging, and a final consultation with your surgeon and anaesthetist confirm the surgical plan. Any questions about the procedure are addressed directly with the surgical team at this point.
Surgery day
Admission to the ward in the morning, surgery typically lasting 3-5 hours for a standard CABG, followed by direct transfer to the ICU for close post-operative monitoring.
ICU monitoring
Most cardiac patients spend 2-4 days in the ICU, with daily rounds, pain management, and early mobilisation (sitting up, short walks) as tolerated.
Ward recovery & physiotherapy
Transfer to a private or semi-private room, with structured physiotherapy, wound care, and gradual increase in activity. Most patients are walking independently by this stage.
Discharge
Your surgeon clears you for discharge once vitals, wound healing, and mobility meet standard criteria. You receive a full discharge summary, imaging, and lab reports — translated if needed — to hand to your home doctor.
After you return home
Discharge from the hospital is not the end of the care relationship. Reputable facilitators coordinate 60 days of telemedicine follow-up after you return, so your treating surgeon in India and your home doctor are both working from the same clinical picture. Many cardiac patients also extend their stay in India by 1-3 weeks for a structured Ayurvedic recovery programme in Kerala before flying home — see our guide on combining hospital discharge with Ayurvedic recovery for how that works in practice.
Frequently asked questions
For a typical cardiac surgery case, the full journey from initial enquiry to returning home is usually 6-9 weeks: 2-4 weeks for remote consultation, document review, and visa processing, followed by 14-21 days in India for admission, surgery, and recovery before discharge.
Major Indian cardiac centres treating international patients have English-fluent doctors and dedicated international patient coordinators. For non-English speakers, facilitators typically arrange interpreter support for key consultations, consent discussions, and discharge briefings.
Accredited hospitals treating international patients have structured escalation protocols and ICU-level backup for any complication. Your treating surgeon and the hospital's international patient department remain responsible for your care throughout your stay; a good facilitator stays in contact with the hospital daily and keeps your family informed.
It is strongly recommended, particularly for major cardiac surgery. India's Attendant (MX) Visa allows up to two family members to accompany a patient, and most hospitals expect a designated companion to be reachable during the admission and early recovery period.