Heart out of the chest: why this happens and how to treat it
Ectopia cordis, also known as cardiac ectopia, is a very rare malformation in which the baby’s heart is located outside the breast, under the skin; In this malformation, the heart may be completely outside the chest or only partially outside the chest.
- In most cases.
- Other malformations are associated and.
- As a result.
- The average life expectancy is a few hours.
- And most babies end up without surviving after the first day of life.
- Ectopia cordis can be identified during the first trimester of pregnancy by ultrasound.
- But there are also rarer cases where malformation is only observed after birth.
In addition to heart abnormalities, this disease is also associated with abnormalities in the structure of the chest, abdomen, and other organs, such as the intestine and lungs.This problem should be treated with surgery to put your heart back in place, but the risk of death is high.
The specific cause of cordial ectopia is not yet known, however, it is possible that the malformation is due to incorrect development of the sternum bone, which eventually becomes absent and allows the heart to leave the breast, even during pregnancy.
When the baby is born with the heart out of the breast, he or she usually also has other health complications such as:
The baby with cardiac ectopia is more likely to survive when the problem is just the poor location of the heart, without other associated complications.
Treatment is only possible through surgery to replace the heart and reconstruct defects in the chest or other organs that have also been affected. Surgery is usually done in the first few days of life, but will depend on the severity of the baby’s condition and health.
However, cordic ecotopia is a serious problem and, in most cases, causes death in the first few days of life, even in the case of surgery.Parents of children with this disease may undergo genetic testing to assess the chances of recurrence of the problem.or other genetic abnormalities in the next pregnancy.
In cases where the baby survives, several surgeries are often necessary throughout the baby’s life, as well as regular medical care, to ensure that life-threatening complications do not occur.
Diagnosis can be made from week 14 of gestation, thanks to conventional and morphological ultrasounds; after diagnosing the problem, more ultrasounds should be done frequently to monitor the development of the fetus and the aggravation or not of the disease, so C-section is scheduled.