Nigerian heart surgeon Dr. Ikenna Omeje has led a groundbreaking chest reconstruction surgery on a 7-year-old UK girl born with her heart outside her chest.
The girl, Vanellope Hope Wilkins, was born with a rare and life-threatening condition called ectopia cordis. Against all odds, she survived and returned this month for a complex surgery to protect her exposed heart.
Dr. Omeje, who was part of the team that helped deliver Vanellope in 2017, led the nine-hour operation at the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre. The team used her own ribs to build a protective chest wall—something never done before in the UK.
“This has been years in the making,” said Dr. Omeje. “Finally, her heart is where it belongs—safely inside.”
The successful surgery is being hailed as a medical milestone.
