Baby born with heart outside body survives surgery

Vanellope Hope Wilkins, a baby born with heart outside her body has survived surgery to insert the heart back into her body, CNN has reported.

Vanellope who is now three weeks old, was delivered by a team of 50 medical professionals at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, UK, on November 22.



The baby who underwent three intensive surgeries to insert her heart back into her body was reported to have been born with ectopia cordis, a congenital condition causing her heart to grow outside her body.

According to Dr. Frances Bu’Lock, consultant in pediatric cardiology at Glenfield Hospital, Vanellope was the first baby to survive the operation in UK.

“I deal with babies with heart problems all the time, some of them very complicated,” Dr. Frances Bu’Lock said.

“This is only the second case in 30 years that I’ve seen this particular condition, it’s extremely rare.

“Vanellope is the first baby to survive this operation in the UK.”

CNN reports that an initial ultrasound scan at nine weeks had alerted Vanellope’s parents, Naomi Findlay and Dean Wilkins, that their baby’s heart and part of her stomach had begun to grow outside of her body.

Another Ultra Scan at 16 weeks disclosed that while Vanellope’s bowel had moved back to the correct position, her heart was still out of place.

Bu’Lock, who had fears that Vanellope might not survived, described the surgery a ‘challenging one.’
“Now she’s out, she’s had three surgeries and her heart is covered — I think her chances are a lot better,” said Bu’Lock, who called the surgery “challenging (rather) than complicated.”


Meanwhile, Naomi Findlay, Vanellope’s mother said she was not expecting her daughter to survive the surgery.

According to Naomi, she had prepared herself for the worst.

Naomi Findlay in a statement on Tuesday said: “I had prepared myself for the worst; that was my way of dealing with it.

“I had brought an outfit to hospital that she could wear if she died.”

“I genuinely didn’t think my baby would survive, but the staff at Glenfield have been amazing.”