A baby born in the UK with her heart outside her body has survived a procedure to insert the organ into her body.
Now three weeks old, Vanellope Hope Wilkins, was delivered by a team of 50 medical professionals at Glenfield, Leicester on November 22.
She was born with ectopia cordis, a condition which makes the heart grow outside the body.
CNN quoted Dr. Frances Bu’Lock, consultant in pediatric cardiology at Glenfield Hospital, as saying that Vanellope was the first baby to survive the operation in the UK.
He said, “I deal with babies with heart problems all the time, some of them very complicated.
“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.”