You have been told your artery is 100% blocked. Or that bypass is your only option. Or that nothing more can be done. Before you book a single flight, there is one thing you need to do first — and it is not packing your bags.
Get your angiogram reviewed.
This guide is written for patients and families from the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, and the UK who are weighing cardiac treatment in India — specifically at Promed Hospital, Chennai — under the care of Dr. Arun Kalyanasundaram, MD MPH FACC FSCAI, a Cleveland Clinic–trained CTO PCI and CHIP PCI specialist. It is not a brochure. It walks through exactly what happens, in order, from the first message you send to the day you land back home.
Do Not Travel First. Get Your Case Reviewed First.
Travelling for a procedure that turns out not to be feasible once you arrive is the single worst outcome in cardiac medical travel — for the patient and for everyone coordinating their care. That is why the process never starts with a flight booking. It starts with a written second opinion.
You send your coronary angiogram report, your most recent echocardiogram, any CT coronary angiography you have had done, your full blood work, your current medication list, and details of any prior cardiac procedures. Dr. Arun reviews these personally and sends back a written opinion within 2–3 business days, stating clearly:
- Whether catheter-based treatment is realistically achievable for your anatomy
- What the likely procedure would be — CTO PCI, CHIP PCI, Left Main PCI, or another approach
- An approximate risk classification for your specific case
- How long you would likely need to stay in Chennai
This costs INR 3,000 / USD 50 and carries no obligation to travel or proceed with anything. Many patients who go through this step decide, on the basis of the written opinion, that travel is not even necessary — and that is a perfectly good outcome too.
Get a Written Angiogram Review — Upload Reports for Review, or send them directly over WhatsApp.
Step 1: The Medical Visa
Once your case has been reviewed and treatment is confirmed as appropriate, the next step is the Indian Medical Visa (MV) — a separate category from a tourist visa, and one that must be applied for correctly to avoid complications on arrival.
Patients from the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are generally eligible for the e-Medical Visa, applied for online. Eligibility rules shift occasionally, so always confirm current status at the time of application rather than relying on what was true last year.
You will need: a passport valid for at least six months beyond your stay, two recent passport-size photographs on a white background, a completed online application, a hospital invitation letter (Promed will issue this once your case is confirmed), proof of sufficient funds, a confirmed return flight or itinerary, and proof of accommodation in Chennai.
UAE Patients
Direct flights from Dubai (DXB) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) connect into Chennai (MAA) regularly, and the UAE community travelling for cardiac second opinions and CTO PCI has grown steadily over the past few years. Most UAE patients complete the remote review, apply for the e-Medical Visa, and travel within two to three weeks of first contact.
Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia
Patients from the GCC region typically fly via Muscat (MCT), Bahrain (BAH), Doha (DOH), or directly from Riyadh (RUH) into Chennai. The written second opinion step is especially important here, since many GCC patients arrive with a surgical recommendation already on file and are specifically seeking a catheter-based alternative review before committing to open-heart surgery.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Short flights from Colombo (CMB) and Dhaka (DAC) make Chennai a practical option for patients in these regions, and many arrive with limited prior access to CTO or CHIP-specific expertise locally. The remote review process works exactly the same way regardless of distance.
Malaysia, Singapore, and the UK
Patients from Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Singapore (SIN), and London (LHR, via connection) more frequently arrive having already explored treatment options at home and are seeking a specialist second opinion specifically because a local team has indicated PCI is not an option. This is one of the most common reasons international patients reach out in the first place.
Step 2: Arrival in Chennai
Chennai International Airport (MAA) is the arrival point. Promed Hospital is located at 1/10A East Coast Road, Kottivakkam, Chennai 600041 — roughly 35 to 50 minutes from the airport depending on traffic. Hospital transport can be arranged in advance once your flight details are confirmed.
For accommodation, options include an in-patient room at Promed for the duration of admission, guest accommodation for one accompanying family member, and nearby hotels along the ECR and OMR corridors, generally in the INR 2,500–6,000 per night range.
Bring all original reports and films, a complete and current medication list, your insurance documents, a three- to four-week supply of your regular medications, and your local cardiologist’s contact information — you will likely want them looped in after discharge.
Step 3: What Actually Happens During Your Stay
Day 1 — Admission. You meet the clinical coordinator and care team. Pre-procedure tests are run: ECG, blood panel, chest X-ray, and a fresh echocardiogram if needed. Dr. Arun meets you in person to walk through your anatomy, the planned approach, and answer questions directly — not through an intermediary.
Day 2 or 3 — The Procedure. Complex interventions are performed in a dedicated catheterisation lab equipped with biplane fluoroscopy, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), optical coherence tomography (OCT), rotational atherectomy, and full haemodynamic support including IABP and Impella where indicated. Most procedures are done through the wrist (radial access) under local anaesthesia with sedation; you are awake and monitored throughout. Depending on complexity, the procedure itself takes 1.5 to 4 hours.
Day 3–5 — Recovery. You are monitored in the cardiac care unit. Fitness-to-fly clearance is confirmed by the care team before any return travel is booked — this is not optional, and it is not rushed.
What This Costs, and What It Doesn’t Cover
In experienced centres, complex coronary PCI in India is performed with contemporary drug-eluting stents, intravascular imaging, calcium-modification tools, and full haemodynamic support. The outcome that matters is determined by operator experience, cath lab infrastructure, and post-procedure care — not by which country the hospital is in.
The procedure package generally includes: the procedure fee, cath lab charges, the implant itself, anaesthesia and sedation, CCU monitoring, in-admission medication, and your discharge documentation. It does not include flights, travel insurance, accommodation outside the hospital, visa fees, or local transport — your coordinator will give you a precise breakdown once your case is confirmed.
Going Home
You leave with a complete discharge summary in English: your diagnosis, the procedure performed with implant details, post-procedure medications and doses, activity restrictions, a follow-up schedule, and a letter for your local cardiologist.
Most patients are fit to fly within three to five days of an uncomplicated intervention, though this is confirmed in writing by Dr. Arun before booking — never assumed. For most patients, economy class is fine; for longer flights over eight hours, your team will tell you whether business class is worth considering for leg positioning and rest.
A follow-up teleconsultation is offered two to four weeks after you’re home, and reports from your local cardiologist — a follow-up ECG, an echo at six weeks — can be uploaded for review through the patient portal.
If You Have Symptoms Right Now
If you have ongoing chest pain, breathlessness at rest, fainting, sweating with chest discomfort, or any unstable symptoms, seek emergency care locally immediately. A remote second opinion is not built for emergencies — it is for patients making a considered decision about complex, non-urgent revascularisation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get treated in India without visiting first?
The process always starts remotely. You send your angiogram, echo, and blood work; once written confirmation comes back that your case is treatable, you move to visa, travel, and admission — usually one to two days before the procedure itself.
How long does the whole process take, start to finish?
Typically 10 to 18 days in total: 2–3 days for the remote review, 7–10 business days for visa processing, and 7–10 days for the Chennai stay.
Is it safe to have a complex procedure like CTO PCI done outside my home country?
Outcomes in CTO and CHIP PCI come down to operator experience and cath lab capability, not geography. Dr. Arun has performed over 2,500 complex coronary interventions and serves as Asia-Pacific CTO Club India Director; Promed’s cath lab is built to international standards with full haemodynamic support on site.
What if the procedure can’t be completed once I’m already in Chennai?
This is an unlikely event. At the hands of experts, success rates for even the most complex of interventions is in the upper 90s. If the anatomy or haemodynamic findings during the procedure show it isn’t safely achievable, the team will not push forward. You receive a detailed written report and a recommendation for what to do next. It is uncommon — and it is exactly why the remote review exists in the first place, to catch this before you ever board a flight.
