The baby feeds slowly and sweats with every bottle. The doctor hears a murmur, an echo follows, and the parents hear new words: a hole in the heart, a narrowed valve, a duct that never closed. Congenital heart disease is the most common birth difference, and today most of it can be treated. This guide is for parents weighing treatment in India.
Common heart conditions in children
- Holes between chambers. Atrial and ventricular septal defects (ASD, VSD) let blood leak from one side of the heart to the other.
- Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). A blood vessel that should close after birth stays open.
- Narrowed valves or vessels. Such as pulmonary stenosis or coarctation of the aorta.
- Complex conditions. Such as tetralogy of Fallot, where several problems occur together, and conditions where a baby turns blue.
An echocardiogram — an ultrasound of the heart — usually gives the diagnosis. Some children also need a CT or MRI scan, or a catheter test, to plan treatment.
| All congenital heart disease | 200,000 |
|---|---|
| Serious — need treatment in year one | 40,000 |
Saxena A, Congenital Heart Disease in India: A Status Report, Indian Pediatrics 2018 — more than 200,000 a year at a birth prevalence of 9 per 1,000; about one-fifth serious.
Watch, catheter or surgery
Watching. Many small VSDs and some small ASDs close on their own in the first years of life. The child grows normally and is checked with echoes. No one should rush you into a procedure for a hole that may close.
Catheter treatment. Many ASDs and PDAs, and some VSDs, can be closed with a small device carried up through a vein in the leg. Narrowed valves can sometimes be stretched with a balloon. There is no chest wound, and the hospital stay is short.
Open-heart surgery. Larger or complex defects need surgery on a heart-lung machine. Paediatric cardiac surgery needs a specialist team: children’s heart surgeons, paediatric cardiac anaesthetists and a dedicated paediatric cardiac intensive care unit. Ask about all three.
We start with the echo report and, if possible, the echo video. Our US$99 consultation includes two calls, so a paediatric cardiologist can advise and a second specialist can confirm the plan.
What treatment costs
| Yashoda · upper | 4,211 |
|---|---|
| KIMS · upper | 4,211 |
| Yashoda · lower | 2,105 |
| KIMS · lower | 1,053 |
Yashoda Hospitals: paediatric cardiac surgery ₹2–4 lakh (Hyderabad). KIMS Hospitals: average ₹1–4 lakh (Secunderabad; the page also quotes ₹2.05–3.7 lakh). Converted at ₹95 per US$. Indian figures are hospital-published estimates, not quotes; your own estimate comes after a doctor reviews your reports.
Device closures and simple repairs sit at the lower end; complex surgery with longer intensive care costs more. Some Indian hospitals and charitable trusts treat children with heart disease free or at reduced cost; read our guide to charitable and trust hospitals. Package prices are per patient and exclude flights.
How a family trip runs
- Send the echoReport and, if possible, the video clips
- Paediatric cardiologist reviewWatch, catheter or surgery — explained on a call
- VisasAn e-Medical visa for the child, Medical Attendant visas for parents
- Arrival and testsRepeat echo, blood tests, weight and nutrition check
- ProcedureCatheter closure or surgery by the paediatric team
- Hospital stayA few days for catheter cases; longer after surgery, including intensive care
- Recovery nearbyFeeding, wound care and a follow-up echo
- Fly homeWith a discharge summary and a plan for local follow-up
Both parents can usually stay with the child, and the hospital will tell you what is allowed in intensive care. Plan for one parent to rest while the other is on duty; the days are long. Chandigarh is about an hour from Delhi by air, with calm, green sectors for the recovery weeks.
After treatment
Children are often remarkably quick to recover. Many feed better, gain weight and catch up within months. Some will need regular echoes for years, and a few will need more procedures as they grow. Ask your team to write down exactly what to watch for at home, such as fast breathing, poor feeding or blue lips. Ask whether your child needs antibiotics before dental treatment, and keep every report together in one folder.
Su'aalaha la weydiiyo
- Could this hole close on its own, and how long can we safely wait?
- Can it be closed by catheter instead of surgery?
- How many operations like this does your paediatric team do each year?
- Is there a dedicated paediatric cardiac intensive care unit?
- What follow-up will my child need at home?
Read our cardiac surgery guide, our notes for family caregivers, or book a consultation and send the echo.
Independent research. Figures are quoted from the official and published sources listed below, as they stood when we checked them (October 2026). BookMedTrip is an independent facilitator and is not affiliated with any government body, hospital, charity or organisation named here, and receives no commission from them. If anything here is out of date or inaccurate, please write to care@bookmedtrip.com and we will correct it.
Su'aalo
How much does children’s heart surgery cost in India?
Yashoda Hospitals publishes ₹2–4 lakh (about US$2,100–4,200) and KIMS Hospitals about ₹1–4 lakh. Catheter closures cost less than complex open-heart surgery.
Does a hole in the heart always need surgery?
No. Many small VSDs and some ASDs close on their own. Many others can be closed with a device through a vein in the leg, without opening the chest.
Can both parents travel with the child?
Yes. The child travels on an e-Medical visa and parents usually apply for e-Medical Attendant visas.
Ilaha
- Saxena A — Congenital Heart Disease in India: A Status Report, Indian Pediatrics 2018;55:1075–82
- Yashoda Hospitals — paediatric cardiac surgery cost in Hyderabad
- KIMS Hospitals — paediatric cardiac centre costs
- Indian e-Visa portal
- USD/INR exchange rate history, 2026 (Pound Sterling Live) — we convert at ₹95 per US$
