Boy with heart on outside of ribcage

**-:Undertaker:-** · 05-07-2009, 02:43 PM

A four-year-old Chinese boy born with a protruding heart has undergone five hours of surgery as doctors try to correct the defect.

Zhang Weiyuan has Pentalogy of Cantrell, which means the heart does not have a sternum or muscles to protect it and is covered only by skin. It is so rare it occurs in around five in a million births.

After the operation, doctors at Shenjing Hospital at the Chinese Medical University said that Weiyuan would have to be in intensive care for three days before they could find out if the operation was a success. "We organized a team of doctors from different departments to do the surgery. It was a challenge for everyone," said chief consultant Dr Li Dongyu.

Poor kid, how weird is that though?

**GommeInc** · 05-07-2009, 02:47 PM

I've seen weirder. My second cousin Aiden, in America was born with his internal organs in his abdomen area on the outside. He's fine now though, it's a very simple operation (well, five of them) and he was in a good area with the best hospital. It's weird to hear of an external heart though :/

It looks like his heart is located right at the bottom of the rib cage!

shizzle · 05-07-2009, 02:52 PM

Wow, that's weird and made me feel sick. Hopefully he is alright.

Yonder · 05-07-2009, 02:53 PM

4 years old wouldn't they have noticed this when he was born.. imagine for four years the parents would have to literally watching him every single second, he could fall and pop his heart could of been damaged. Wonders of medical science.