The baby, whose heart is on the outside, was born this week in the Indian state of Bihar. The most important organ beats outside the chest right in front of the shocked doctors and parents.
Such a deviation from the norm is called ectopia of the heart. This defect is extremely rare - in 7.9 children per 1 million. Of these, 90% are born dead or die in the first three days.
The son of the poor from Bihar was more fortunate - the sick child, whose heart beats in front of the stunned parents and doctors, survived. Moreover, all his organs are functioning normally.
The doctors of the Bihar maternity hospital, where the baby was born, sent him by train to New Delhi, accompanied by his father and a nurse. On Friday, the child was taken for surgery and further treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
The only person who managed to grow to adulthood despite congenital ectopia is the American Christopher Wall. Before that, he had to undergo 15 dangerous operations, thanks to which the heart was placed in the chest. Wall recently celebrated its 34th birthday.