Heart and vascular treatment abroad

In coronary bypass surgery, healthy blood vessels taken from another part of the body are used to get round a narrowed or blocked artery that supplies blood to the heart. In heart valve replacement, a damaged valve is replaced with a new one. In TAVI, a thin tube called a catheter is passed through a blood vessel to the heart, and a new aortic valve is fixed in place over the damaged one. In stenting, a short wire mesh tube called a stent is placed in a narrowed coronary artery and left there to let blood flow more freely.

A pacemaker is a small device placed under the skin of the chest that sends out an electrical signal to help control the heartbeat. The area also covers arrhythmia ablation, aortic and vascular surgery and congenital heart surgery, and a cardiology consultation with tests can be chosen on its own. If you are not sure which procedure you need, choose "Not sure yet" under heart and vascular treatment when you describe your case, or write in your own words what your cardiologist has told you. The clinic looks at the details of your case before it makes you an offer.

Turkey offers every heart and vascular procedure on Medbook's list, in Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Adana, Bodrum, Bursa, Eskişehir and Kayseri. You do not have to choose a city first. Each offer shows where your treatment takes place, so you can compare places as well as dates.

Every service on Medbook's list is arranged in Turkey: airport and clinic transfers, accommodation, an interpreter, a personal coordinator, visa support, an online consultation before you travel and aftercare. Once you confirm an offer, your roadmap lets you book flights and transfers yourself or ask Medbook to arrange them.

How long you stay depends on the procedure, and your clinic confirms the dates in its offer. When the assistant asks how many days you can spend abroad, choose the option that really fits your plans.

Gather the records that show your heart condition as it is today: recent ECG and echocardiogram reports, the results of any angiography or CT scan with their written reports, recent blood test results and letters from your cardiologist. Add notes on any earlier heart procedure and, if you have a pacemaker or another implanted device, its details. Write down the medications you take, including any blood thinners, and any allergies. When you describe your case, the assistant asks about chronic conditions, with heart problems among the choices, and about allergies and medications.

An online consultation before you travel is among the services arranged in Turkey. Questions worth asking in it:

• Which records and test results do you need, and how recent should they be?
• How long should I plan to stay, and when can I fly home?
• Should someone travel with me?
• Which follow-up checks are planned, and can my cardiologist at home do any of them?

When you compare offers, look at the dates and at whether follow-up is included.