A baby, who was born with her heart outside her body, has survived a series of operations to place the organ back in her chest.
Surgeons at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, operated on Vanellope Wilkins, after she was diagnosed with ectopia cordis, a condition of which most babies are stillborn.
According to hospital staff, there are no other known cases in the UK where a baby has survived.
Ultrasound initially revealed that the baby’s heart was growing outside her chest and that she had no breastbone. Delivered by Caesarean section, three weeks ago, Vanellope’s chest was immediately protected with a sterile bag to protect against infection and to keep her heart moist.
Within the hour, the first of three operations to take place over three weeks was underway. Special lines were inserted into the baby’s umbilical cord to provide fluid and medication, and this resulted in her chest opening to create more space for the heart.
In a second operation, surgeons opened her chest even further and two weeks later the baby’s heart eased its way into her chest. Most recently, a third operation enabled medics to take skin from under Vanellope’s arms and use it to seal the hole in her chest.
Future plans to restructure the baby’s breastbone could incorporate the use of 3D printing techniques, using an organic material that would grow with her.
