10 most expensive medical operations in the world (1 photo)
Healthcare is expensive in the United States, where many of us have paid medical bills only to wonder why the cost of this seemingly small procedure is so high. This makes you wonder how much the most expensive surgeries should cost. 
1. Heart transplant
Cost: $1,664,800
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and approximately 3,000 heart transplants are performed in the United States each year.3 Heart transplants are one of the most complex procedures and involve great risks for patients.
The average wait time for a heart transplant is 213 days. The average length of stay in the hospital is about 50 days. Preparation for the operation is lengthy and expensive. Add to this the expensive procurement of the organ, and you can see why this cost is high.
Key Findings
Heart transplant is one of the most expensive types of operations.
Patients requiring a kidney transplant have the longest wait time, with an average of 685 days.
Pre-transplant care, procurement, post-transplant care and medicine all contribute to the high cost of organ transplantation.
Patients undergoing corneal transplantation are ready for the procedure.
2. Double lung transplant
Cost: $1,295,900
When other treatments don't work, lung transplantation is the last resort for patients with lung diseases such as emphysema and cystic fibrosis. Patients must wait an average of 186 days for a lung transplant, and the average hospital stay is about 31 days.
3. Intestinal transplant
Cost: $1,240,700
An intestinal transplant is performed to replace dead intestinal tissue with living tissue from a donor, often due to disease or the presence of a tumor. Intestinal diseases are sometimes accompanied by damage to the liver or other organs. Because of this, intestinal transplants are often performed in conjunction with another organ, adding more than $400,000 to the bill. Fewer than 40 intestinal transplants are expected to be performed in 2020.
27.5 million
Number of Americans without health insurance.
4. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation
Cost: $1,071,700
A bone marrow transplant made from donor bone marrow is called an allogeneic transplant. This procedure is risky by nature. The average hospital stay is 34 days, and extensive rehabilitation care accounts for a significant portion of the total costs.
5. Single lung transplant
Cost: $929,600
As with a double lung transplant, the waiting list can be long, and yet it is very expensive to simply replace one lung. The combination of a lung and heart transplant is one of the most expensive procedures a patient can receive, costing a total of nearly $2.6 million.
6. Liver transplant
Cost: $878,400
Like heart transplants, liver transplants are high-risk and high-cost, with an attendant waiting list. The criteria are high, which means administrative and preparation costs add to the bottom line.
7. Autologous bone marrow transplantation
Cost: $471,600
A bone marrow transplant made from your own bone marrow is called an autotransplant. This is one of the reasons why the procedure costs less than allogeneic transplantation. It is cheaper because with an allogeneic transplant you need to find a donor, which can be difficult, and complications after the procedure are very common.
8. Kidney transplant
Cost: $442,500
Kidney transplants, like the other transplants on this list, are expensive due to risk, recovery, and preparation costs. The only difference is that in a kidney transplant, the old kidney is not removed because it has been shown to reduce the risk; surgeons find another blood source to attach the new kidney.
9. Pancreas transplant
Cost: $408,800
A pancreas transplant is usually necessary if the patient has type 1 diabetes or kidney failure. This is often done in tandem with a kidney transplant, which increases the cost to $851,300.
10. Cornea transplant
Cost: $32,500
Vision problems resulting from thinning corneas can be corrected with a corneal transplant. The operation is performed while the patient is awake.
