Norwood Procedure Cost in Singapore

A. After discharge from the hospital, the patient has to stay for another 28 days in the country for complete recovery. During this time, the patient undergoes medical tests and consultations. this is to ensure that the treatment was successful and the patient is safe to return.

A. While Singapore is considered one of the best destinations for Norwood Procedure owing to the standard of Hospitals and the expertise of doctors, a select few destinations provide comparable quality of healthcare for this procedure. Some of such countries are:

1. Malaysia
2. Thailand
3. Turkey
4. The United Arab Emirates

A. There are certain additional costs that the patient has to pay apart from the Norwood Procedure cost. These include the cost of accommodation and meals outside the hospital. The per day cost, in this case, may range around USD 150.

A. Some of the popular cities in Singapore that offer Norwood Procedure include the following:

• Napier Road
• Joo Chiat Pl
• Connexion

A. The patient has to spend about 7 days in the hospital after the Norwood Procedure for proper recovery and to get clearance for discharge. During the recovery, the patient is carefully monitored and control tests are performed to see that everything is okay. If required, physiotherapy sessions are also planned during recovery in the hospital.

A. There are more than 3 hospitals in Singapore that offer Norwood Procedure. Apart from providing good services, hospitals are known to follow all standard and legal guidelines dictated by the local medical affairs body or organisation.

A. A Norwood procedure is an operation surgeons perform most commonly for a baby born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). This surgery lets the right side of a baby’s heart send blood with oxygen to the body. Normally, your heart’s left side takes care of this. In a baby with HLHS, the heart’s left side isn’t developed enough to do it.

After this surgery, your baby’s right ventricle (lower heart chamber) still does its normal job of pumping blood without oxygen to the lungs. However, it also does the left ventricle’s job of sending blood with oxygen to the body.

This doesn’t keep the blood with oxygen separated from the blood without oxygen like in a normal heart. It’s not a perfect solution. However, it’s an improvement that helps deliver more oxygen to your baby’s cells and tissues.

A. There are a few risks associated with the Norwood operation.

• Aortic or pulmonary artery narrowing (stenosis)
• Shunt failure or blockage.
• Heart rhythm disorders are called arrhythmias.
• Inefficient heart or heart valve functioning.
• Delay in neurodevelopment.

A. Other alternate for HLHS surgeries other than the Norwood procedure are as follows:

• Glenn procedure: Typically, it is carried out when a child is four to six months old. It entails cutting the first shunt and attaching the pulmonary artery to the big vein that drains blood from the head and limbs. Instead of the shunt, the vein now supplies blood to the lungs.

All of the blood returning from the upper body goes to the lungs following this treatment. To supply organs and tissues throughout the body, blood that has more oxygen in it is pumped to the aorta.

• Fontan technique: Typically, this procedure is performed on a child who is between the ages of 3 and 4. To allow blood from the lower legs to enter the pulmonary arteries directly, the surgeon makes a channel. The inferior vena cava is the name of the affected vessel. The blood is subsequently sent into the lungs by the pulmonary arteries.

The Fontan operation allows the remaining blood that is deficient in oxygen to return to the lungs from the body. There is minimal mixing of oxygen-poor and oxygen-rich blood in the heart following this procedure. Thus, the skin ought to stop appearing gray or blue.

A. Yes, there are hospitals in Singapore that provide advanced medical facilities for international patients for Norwood procedures.

A. The Norwood procedure, which is a type of heart surgery performed on newborns with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), typically takes 4 to 6 hours.

This time frame can vary depending on the case's complexity and any additional complications. The procedure involves reconstructing the heart to improve blood flow, including creating a new pathway for blood to flow to the lungs and body. Since it is a highly specialised surgery, it is performed by a skilled pediatric cardiac surgeon in a hospital with specialised care for newborns.

A. The Norwood procedure is a complex congenital heart surgery with the following survival rates:

• In-hospital survival: 90%
• Five-year survival rate: 60–75%
• Six-year survival rate: 60% without a heart transplant
• 20-year survival rate: Similar to six-year survival rate

Various other factors affect the overall survival rates after the Norwood surgery.