Top 10 Most Expensive Surgeries

Medicine is one of the largest markets in the world. Probably, only weapons and drugs appear in the same “weight” category. People want to be healthy and recover from complex illnesses. Modern medicine allows this, but the price is often very high. It includes modern research, advanced technology, and the education and experience of doctors are also expensive.

Surgical interventions are the most expensive procedures. Their cost is estimated not only by the complexity of the procedure, the equipment used, etc. but also by preliminary training, postoperative rehabilitation, the work of maintenance personnel, etc. Some operations are so expensive that they can cause a small personal financial crisis, even with insurance. Only a large wallet (really big) and a bit of luck will save here. Today we are speaking about the top 10 most expensive surgeries in the world.

10 medical procedures that cost way too much

10. Tracheostomy ($205,000)

A tracheostomy is a procedure in which the patient’s throat and trachea are cut in order to insert a special tube. This helps the patient to breathe. It is used in cases where breathing is very complicated – trauma or swelling. There are other methods of artificial respiration, but they are more dangerous in terms of the ability to catch an infection.

The procedure itself is not so expensive – you just need to cut the throat and insert the tube. But most often the patient has the tube for a long period, and the main costs are associated with maintenance and care. It requires breathing equipment, cleaning, and adaptation of the body to a new way to breathe.

9. Kidney transplant ($262,900)

One of the very common but difficult to treat and care for diseases is kidney failure. The kidneys have many functions – excreting, hormonal, and other systemic processes. A kidney transplant is a difficult operation because it is one of the most important organs. The second problem is the price when looking for a donor.
After surgery, you need to spend several days in the hospital, but even after discharge, you will have to spend thousands of dollars on drugs that help the body take a new organ and not start the rejection process.

On the other hand, as long as at least one kidney is working, surgery is not necessary – you just need to lead a healthy lifestyle.

8. Pancreas transplant ($289,400)

Most often, pancreatic transplant surgery is needed for cancer of this organ. The pancreas is responsible for the supply of digestive enzymes and is very susceptible to various influences. The organ is completely replaced during surgery, and the operation lasts for many hours, after which the patient will be in the hospital for at least 21 days.

7. Open heart surgery ($324,000)

Sometimes the heart needs to undergo some operations since many factors affect its health. As they say, sometimes prevention is needed, and sometimes – repair. The range of open-heart surgery starts from installing a new artificial heart valve to working in the coronary artery to improve blood flow. The complexity and danger of the operation depend on the specific procedure. The costs depend on this, as well as on the time of preparation before and rehabilitation after surgery. And do not forget about constant monitoring by doctors.

6. Liver transplant ($577,100)

A liver transplant is a high-risk operation because this organ affects the entire system of the human body. The liver cleanses the body and when transplanted, the risk to life is greater than for most procedures. Of course, finding a suitable donor is also a big problem, plus a long and intensive rehabilitation after surgery. Unfortunately, liver damage is not so rare in our time, especially in the elderly.

5. Bone marrow transplant ($300,400 – $676,800)

Bone marrow transplantation is not a very complicated procedure. Depending on the donor, surgery may not even be necessary. Bone marrow can be obtained by transfusion of a patient, only intravenous access is needed. Large costs are obtained in research in the laboratory: the study of bone marrow to find a donor, its collection, testing. Another problem is the donor. If the procedure can be almost painless for the patient, then the donor will have to undergo a rather painful procedure (larger needles in the bone), moreover, this pain can remain for several weeks.

4. Lung transplant ($797,200 if both; $561,000 if one)

Some people do not even know that it is possible to transplant a lung. The price rises due to the fact that the lungs are a vital and very delicate organ. In addition, the patient needs a machine that will “breathe” for him/her during the operation. One can get on the operating table for a lung transplant for various reasons – some respiratory diseases, the collapse of the lung, or even when breathing stops. Of course, the price takes into account the lungs themselves, the work of specialists, life support equipment, medications so that the lung is not rejected by the body, etc.

3. Heart transplant ($997,000)

A heart transplant is a surgery to remove a patient’s diseased heart and replace it with a healthy heart from a deceased donor. The danger, of course, is also very high. As in the case of the lungs, we need equipment that will temporarily replace the heart and pump blood through the body. Long preparation, rehabilitation, medications – all this makes the operation very expensive.

2. Transplantation of the “Heart-lungs” complex ($1,148,400)

A heart/lung transplant separately is a very risky operation, and a complex transplant doubles the danger. The main expenses (except for donor organs) are hospital expenses, diagnostics, and laboratory tests. After the operation, an active and complex rehabilitation will be required.

There are many articles describing many patients who changed as individuals after a heart transplant, becoming more like those who owned a new heart than themselves. Some people believe in a soul that lives in your heart, others consider it fiction.

1. Gastrointestinal transplant ($1,206,000)

The gastrointestinal tract is the longest organ in man. The complexity of the operation is that it takes a very long time until section by section is removed. Most often, one can get onto the operating table due to intestinal cancer, a serious injury or a defect, and sometimes due to a particularly vicious infection.

The operation can take a whole day and requires long and serious care after it.

When transplanting the intestinal tract, there may be a need for a liver transplant, as it also suffers greatly due to local problems. The largest expenses (up to $800,000) can go to hospital expenses: research, preparation and postoperative care.

After such a list, we would like to wish everyone good, strong and reliable health. But if trouble happened, we wish you to meet a good specialist on the way who can help.