Cardiology and heart surgery in Georgia: what an international patient should know

What does heart treatment involve for an international patient?

Medical care for heart conditions can be roughly divided into three levels, and each calls for a different length of trip and different preparation. The first level is diagnostics: a cardiologist's consultation, an echocardiogram, an exercise stress test, Holter monitoring, a CT scan or an MRI. The second is interventional cardiology, where the doctor works through a thin tube, a catheter, inserted into a blood vessel: this is how coronary angiography, stent placement and catheter treatment of some valve and rhythm problems are performed. The third is cardiac surgery, that is, open-heart surgery, for example coronary artery bypass grafting or valve replacement.

For an international patient, this division determines several practical questions: how many days to come for, whether you need a companion, how long you will have to stay after the procedure and what happens if the tests show that different treatment is needed. Only the clinic's doctor can give you precise answers to these questions, after reviewing your records. We do not recommend a method or assess a diagnosis: Solidaroba.ge is not a clinic; we arrange the organisational side of treatment.

This guide is for patients coming from abroad. The state funding rules for citizens of Georgia are described separately in the guide to funding for cardiac surgery.

When does it make sense to travel for heart treatment?

Medical travel suits planned treatment, that is, cases where the doctor allows a certain margin of time and there is room for remote assessment of your records, comparison of quotes and preparation for the trip. Sudden severe chest pain, breathlessness at rest or loss of consciousness call for emergency care in whichever country you are in at that moment. In Georgia, the single emergency number is 112.

There are intermediate cases too: the patient's condition is stable, but flying on a regular scheduled flight carries a risk for them. In such cases the airline may ask for a doctor's report, and sometimes a medical escort becomes necessary. Whether a patient can fly, and on what conditions, is assessed by their treating doctor, not by a coordinator or a ticket seller. Options for escorted transfer are on the ICU ambulance team service page.

Before you travel, you can also get a remote assessment. A Georgian cardiologist or cardiac surgeon can look at your test results and give you a written opinion before you decide whether to come. This is arranged through our second opinion service and does not commit you to treatment.

Which records does a cardiologist need for a preliminary assessment?

Assessing a heart case relies largely on the images themselves, not only on their written description. An interventional cardiologist or cardiac surgeon will, as a rule, review the coronary angiography recording personally, because someone else's report cannot convey every detail. The list below is a guide: the clinic may ask for less or for more.

• Coronary angiography or another catheter study: the recording in DICOM format, on disc or via a download link, and its report.
• Echocardiogram: the latest report and, for a valve problem, the video recording too if possible.
• Electrocardiogram and, if they were done, the results of Holter monitoring and an exercise stress test.
• CT or MRI, if your doctor ordered one, together with the images.
• Recent laboratory test results that you already have: full blood count, kidney function, blood sugar, coagulation.
• A list of your medicines with doses. Mark blood thinners separately, because the doctor plans how you take them before the procedure.
• Details of any implanted device or implant: your pacemaker card, stent or valve details, reports of previous operations.

If your records are in a language a Georgian specialist cannot read, our imaging report translation service translates them into English or Georgian. Which file the clinic needs and for what purpose is explained in general terms on the clinic selection page.

How the process works with us, in brief

1. Records

   You send us whatever you have. We check whether the images open and what is missing from the package.

2. Review at the clinic

   With your consent, cardiologists or cardiac surgeons at licensed clinics review your records and propose a plan in writing.

3. Comparing quotes

   We set out the replies item by item, so you can see what each price includes and what it does not.

4. Travel and treatment

   Visa, insurance, airport pick-up, accommodation and interpreter in one plan, while the treatment itself is provided by the clinic.

5. Return home

   Copies of your records, their translation, and a flight date that matches the doctor's confirmation.

The details of each stage, including who pays for what, are on the personal coordinator page. With heart treatment, one thing deserves particular attention: the result of a test may change the original plan. For example, after coronary angiography the doctor may propose surgery instead of a stent or, conversely, medication alone. That is why we plan your accommodation and return ticket on flexible terms.

What is included in a cardiology quote, and what is left out?

In cardiology, two quotes with the same name often cover entirely different scopes. We do not publish prices on this page, because they depend on your records, the clinic and the implant chosen. Instead, below are the items we check separately in every quote for heart treatment.

We ask the clinic to answer each of these questions in writing, summarise the answers in a language you understand and attach the original document.

A clinic's quote usually does not include air tickets, accommodation for your companion, the interpreter or our coordination fee, so these costs appear as separate lines. You pay for the treatment directly to the clinic, while our fee is agreed in writing before work begins. The general structure of costs and the payment methods are covered in the guide to costs and payment.

How can you be sure a clinic is authorised to perform heart procedures?

In Georgia, an inpatient facility where patients stay for more than 24 hours needs a permit to operate, and certain medical activities require a licence. These requirements are set out in Government Resolution No. 385 of 17 December 2010. Both documents are issued by the Regulation Agency for Medical and Pharmaceutical Activities, a body under the Ministry of Health.

We have not been able to find an open online database in which a patient could look up a clinic's permit themselves. So we recommend two things. First, ask the clinic for a copy of its permit with the number and date, and ask whether it covers interventional cardiology or cardiac surgery specifically. Second, ask for the name and specialty of your treating doctor. When you work with us, we request and check these documents before passing your records to the clinic.

Broader criteria for assessing a clinic, from language to contact after discharge, are in the guide to choosing a clinic.

Risks, consent, insurance and flying after a procedure

Every heart procedure has its own risks, which the doctor explains to you before the operation. The Law of Georgia on Patient Rights also protects international patients: the doctor must inform you of the diagnosis, the proposed treatment and its alternatives, the expected risk and the cost of the service, and needs your written informed consent before an operation. The law does not provide a right to an interpreter, so we schedule a medical interpreter in advance for the consultation and for signing the consent. Your coordinator speaks with you in English or Russian, and in other languages with the help of an interpreter.

Insurance

Since 1 January 2026, the Law of Georgia on Tourism has required every foreign visitor to hold a mandatory policy: it must cover the risk of illness and accident from the day of arrival to the day of departure, with a sum insured of at least GEL 30,000, and the policy itself must be drawn up in Georgian or English. This is a condition of entry, not funding for treatment: a travel policy as a rule excludes planned treatment. The cost of a complication or extra days is mostly settled by the terms of the clinic's quote, so this item has to be clarified in advance. How to check a policy is explained in the insurance guide.

Flying

When you can fly home is decided by your treating doctor, taking into account the type of procedure, your condition and the length of the flight. Some airlines require a medical form, completed by the doctor, after an operation. We therefore recommend buying your return ticket either after the doctor's confirmation or on a fare that allows the date to be changed. If you enter Georgia on an e-visa, remember that a short-term visa cannot be extended inside the country; details are on the visa and insurance page.

Going home: what should you take to your cardiologist?

Follow-up after a heart procedure usually continues in your own country, with a local cardiologist. They need the full picture of the treatment carried out in Georgia, in a language they can read:

• the discharge summary (epicrisis), the document summarising your stay, with the diagnosis and a description of the procedure performed;
• the operation or procedure report and the coronary angiography recording in digital format;
• the manufacturer, model and serial details of the implanted stent, valve or device;
• a list of prescribed medicines with doses and duration, together with the schedule of follow-up tests.

A patient obtains copies of their medical records from the clinic on written request, a right guaranteed by law, and the Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection generally sets 10 working days for meeting such a request. So that you already have the copies on the day you fly, we request them before discharge. Our discharge summary translation service translates the discharge summary and the operation report into the language of your country.

Ordinary medicines prescribed at discharge that are not subject to special controls may be taken out of Georgia without documents, up to 10 standard packs for personal use, under Georgian customs rules. Check the rules of the country you are returning to separately; general advice is in the guide to travelling with medicines.

Frequently asked questions about heart treatment in Georgia