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Specialty · 8,287 accredited hospitals

Cardiac Surgery

Heart surgery including bypass, valve replacement, angioplasty, and advanced cardiac interventions.

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Last updated: How we source & review

Surgical team performing heart surgery in a cardiac operating room
Hospitals
8,287Hospitals
Treatments
44Treatments
Destinations
9Destinations
From
$1,670From

01 · Procedures

Treatments in Cardiac

All treatments

02 · Featured hospitals

Centres of excellence for Cardiac

03 · Surgeons

Surgeons working in Cardiac

All surgeons

04 · Where to go

Destinations for Cardiac

Cardiac Surgery in India 3,339 hospitals Country guide
Cardiac Surgery in Germany 2,144 hospitals Country guide
Cardiac Surgery in Thailand 1,429 hospitals Country guide
Cardiac Surgery in Turkey 675 hospitals Country guide
Cardiac Surgery in South Korea 297 hospitals Country guide
Cardiac Surgery in Malaysia 245 hospitals Country guide
Cardiac Surgery in Saudi Arabia 55 hospitals Country guide
Cardiac Surgery in Singapore 53 hospitals Country guide
Cardiac Surgery in United Arab Emirates 50 hospitals Country guide

Outcomes at a glance

What patients in cardiac care typically see

Averages across the 44 procedures in this specialty. Your case manager will quote outcomes specific to your indication and chosen surgeon.

93.5%Avg success · across 44 procedures
5.9 daysHospital stay · median across the specialty
5 wkRecovery · to full activity
8,287Hospitals · in 9 destinations

Society guidelines · current edition

Sub-specialties

Within cardiac surgery

Coronary surgery

CABG (single, double, multi-vessel), with or without diabetes management. Volume threshold: 200+/year for top-tier outcomes.

Valve surgery

Mitral repair (vs replacement), aortic valve replacement (surgical or TAVR), tricuspid surgery. Repair rate is the metric for mitral programs — top centers achieve 90%+ repair for degenerative disease.

Aortic surgery

Aortic root, ascending aorta, arch, descending. Volume effect particularly steep for complex aortic work.

Congenital cardiac

Pediatric and adult congenital. Specialized centers (Frontier Lifeline, Narayana Health) handle complex cases globally.

Transcatheter procedures

TAVR, MitraClip, Watchman, septal closure devices. Hybrid OR capability matters for some procedures.

Mechanical support

ECMO, LVAD/RVAD, heart transplant. Highest-tier programs only; volume is the strongest outcome predictor.

Program quality

What to look for

  • Surgeon's personal annual case volume on your specific procedure (not just institutional volume).
  • Heart-team review documented in writing for major cases.
  • 30-day mortality rate published, broken out by procedure and risk class (EuroSCORE/STS).
  • Perfusion-team experience (often discussed with the surgical team during pre-op).
  • ICU step-down capability with cardiac intensivist on call 24/7.
  • Re-do or complex aortic experience for higher-risk cases.

Volume thresholds

Surgeon volume benchmarks

200+ CABG/yearTop-tier; mortality typically 1.5–2.5% for elective
100–200/yearStrong; experienced surgeons; outcomes near top tier
50–100/yearModerate; ask for specific risk-stratified outcomes
Under 50/yearLower volume; outcomes more variable; requires careful evaluation

Destinations

Where this is commonly done

India

Highest case volumes globally for CABG and valve work. Best cost-quality ratio. Top programs: Medanta, Apollo, Fortis Escorts, Artemis.

Turkey

Strong on TAVR and minimally invasive cardiac. Premium programs: Acıbadem, Memorial, American Hospital Istanbul.

Germany

Premium for complex re-do and congenital work. Programs: Charité, Hannover, Heidelberg.

Korea

Asan Medical Center and Severance run advanced programs. Strong on robotic mitral and complex aortic.

Thailand

Bumrungrad and Bangkok Heart Hospital — established, English-friendly. Better for elective than emergent.

Patient journey

The typical care flow

  1. Initial assessment

    Cardiologist consultation; recent imaging review (echo, angiogram); pre-op risk assessment.

  2. Heart-team review

    Multidisciplinary discussion to confirm surgical vs interventional vs medical management.

  3. Pre-op optimization

    Glycemic control, smoking cessation, dental clearance, medication adjustment. Typically 4-12 weeks.

  4. Surgery + admission

    5-10 day hospital stay typical; ICU 1-2 days; cardiac monitoring on step-down.

  5. Recovery + rehab

    12-week cardiac rehabilitation; echo at 6-12 weeks; medication titration.

Questions

What to ask the program

  1. What's the surgeon's annual case volume on my specific procedure?
  2. What's the 30-day mortality rate for elective cases at your program?
  3. Does heart-team review happen for every major case, and can I see the recommendation in writing?
  4. What's your repair rate for mitral surgery (if applicable)?
  5. What's your conversion-from-minimally-invasive-to-open rate?
  6. What's your protocol if I deteriorate post-op — is there a cardiac intensivist on call 24/7?

Decision check

Is this specialty right for your case?

  • Are you facing a planned cardiac procedure (CABG, valve, congenital repair) at low-to-moderate surgical risk?
  • Have you had a heart-team review and clear recommendation?
  • Is your home cardiology program engaged for post-op coordination?
  • Are you medically optimized (HbA1c, smoking, dental)?
  • Can you commit to 12-week cardiac rehab post-op?

05 · FAQ

Common questions about Cardiac Surgery abroad

How do I pick a hospital for Cardiac Surgery?

Start with three filters: annual case volume for the specific procedure (not the specialty as a whole), the surgeon's personal experience with your condition, and what the follow-up plan looks like for months 3–12 after you're back home. Hospital brand matters less than the specific team you'll be under.

What's the cost difference between countries for cardiac surgery?

Cost differences between destinations for cardiac surgery can run 3–10× depending on the procedure and the country. The gap is usually driven by surgeon/labor costs and facility overhead rather than technology or outcomes — many mid-cost destinations run the same equipment as premium markets.

Is a second opinion worth it before booking cardiac surgery?

For most elective procedures in cardiac surgery, yes. A multidisciplinary review often changes the treatment recommendation — sometimes away from surgery, sometimes toward a different approach. We coordinate free second opinions across our partner programs before any travel is booked.

How long should I plan to be abroad for cardiac surgery treatment?

Plan for the procedure + the first follow-up to happen before you fly back. Simple procedures can be a 1–2 week trip; complex surgery often needs 3–6 weeks. Your coordinator will give you a date-specific plan once your clinical details are in.

What happens if I have a complication after flying home?

A good program will have a clear follow-up pathway: direct messaging with the surgical team, imaging sharing, and — in the rare case of a serious complication — a pathway for return or for local handoff to a partner hospital. Ask about this specifically before booking; ambiguity here is the single biggest red flag.

Specialty depth

How to shortlist a credible cardiac surgery specialist

A board certification in cardiac surgery is the floor, not the ceiling. Senior practice in this field is sub-specialised — the right surgeon for your case is the one whose volume, fellowship, and audit data line up with the specific operation you need.

Sub-specialties to be aware of

Adult cardiac surgery

CABG, valve repair/replacement, aortic root reconstruction, and re-do operations on prior bypass patients.

Paediatric & congenital

Tetralogy of Fallot, transposition repairs, single-ventricle staged palliation — credentialled at a different centre tier from adult cardiac.

Minimally-invasive cardiac surgery (MICS)

Mini-thoracotomy CABG, robotic mitral repair, percutaneous valve programs (TAVI/TAVR, MitraClip).

Heart transplant + mechanical assist

Orthotopic transplant, LVAD destination therapy, dual-organ programs (heart-kidney, heart-liver). Ultra-low-volume globally.

How outcomes get measured

  • 30-day mortality, stratified by EuroSCORE II or STS risk score so the headline number isn't gamed by case selection.
  • Stroke rate, mediastinitis rate, and reoperation-for-bleeding rate — public reporting in many EU/US registries.
  • Re-admission within 90 days — sometimes a better quality signal than mortality for low-risk procedures.
  • Long-term graft patency at 5 / 10 years for CABG (LIMA-to-LAD especially), and freedom-from-reintervention for valve repairs.

What a credible specialist looks like

  • Volume — at least 200-300 cardiac procedures per year for a senior surgeon, weighted toward the specific procedure you need.
  • Society membership — STS, EACTS, ASE, AATS — and recent peer-reviewed publications.
  • Multidisciplinary heart team — credible programs run weekly cardiology + surgery + imaging combined review for high-risk cases.
  • Re-do volume — the surgeon's experience with second-time-on operations is the cleanest proxy for technical chops.
How this page is made

Methodology and editorial standards

This cardiac surgery hub draws on 8,287 accredited hospitals running active cardiac surgery programs across 9 destinations.

  1. Hospital data. Accreditation, licences and facilities are checked against public registries (JCI, NABH, health-ministry licence lists) and hospital documents, and rechecked regularly.
  2. Doctor credentials. Qualifications and specialty come from the doctor's hospital profile and national medical council registers.
  3. Prices. Price ranges come from written hospital quotes and packages, not advertised rates.
  4. Clinical text. Written by our editorial team and checked against current published guidelines before it goes live.
  5. Independence. Hospitals cannot pay to change their position on our pages.
Data sources for this page
JCI accreditation registryNational medical council subspecialty registriesPeer-reviewed publication recordCardiac Surgery society guidelines (most recent edition)

Cardiac Surgery care

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