The Diagnosis
Sergey (name changed) is 58, a senior engineer in Moscow, married with two adult children. After mild exertional angina for several months, his cardiologist ordered a stress test. The test was strongly positive. Coronary angiography showed three-vessel disease: 90% LAD, 75% circumflex, 80% right coronary, with preserved left ventricular function.
His SYNTAX score put him squarely in CABG territory rather than PCI — see our stent vs bypass guide for the decision framework.
Why Travel
Cost in Russia for full off-pump CABG was high enough to require liquidating his pension fund. The waiting list at the leading Moscow hospital was 4–5 months. SSAnkang's Beijing partner cardiac center could schedule within 3 weeks at one-fifth the price.
Pre-Op
Sergey flew Moscow → Beijing (8 hours direct on Aeroflot). His wife traveled with him. They stayed at the hospital guest suite — walking distance to the cardiac surgery ward.
Pre-op workup took 4 days: repeat angiography (to confirm anatomy and graft planning), echo, carotid Doppler, pulmonary function tests, dental screen (for endocarditis risk), and lengthy consent discussions with both surgeon and anesthesiologist via our Russian-speaking medical escort.
The Surgery
Off-pump CABG with three grafts: LIMA-to-LAD (gold standard), saphenous vein to obtuse marginal, saphenous vein to PDA. Procedure time: 5 hours 20 minutes. Two units of blood transfused.
The Recovery
| Day | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 0 | Surgery + ICU |
| 1 | Extubated, sitting up, ICU step-down |
| 2 | Walking 5m to the bathroom |
| 4 | Out of step-down to ward |
| 7 | Walking the corridor unassisted |
| 10 | Discharged, returned to hotel |
| 14 | Outpatient follow-up — cleared to fly home in 5 more days |
The Flight Home
For post-CABG flights, our protocol is: minimum 19 days post-op for a non-stop flight (12 hours or under), 25 days for itineraries with connections. Sergey flew home day 19 with his wife. We arranged airline medical clearance (a brief letter from the surgeon) and aisle seats with extra legroom.
Reflections
What he said helped most:
- The senior surgeon doing all key portions of the operation himself (verified)
- "Daily" check-ins from the case manager rather than just the hospital staff
- Honest conversations about complication risks before he signed consent
- Russian-speaking ICU nurse on the first three nights
One Year Later
Stress test in Moscow at 12 months: negative. EF improved from 52% pre-op to 58%. He's walking 5km daily, back at work part-time, and sent us a photo from his daughter's wedding — without medication-related fatigue for the first time in 18 months.
Disclaimer: Patient name changed. Clinical details composited from typical cases. Outcomes vary; cardiac surgery carries inherent risks.
