Video Baby Born with Heart Outside Chest, Ectopia Cordis

A Texas baby, born with part of her heart outside her body ( Ectopia Cordis) , defies the odds and leaves hospital following a successful surgery.

Full story:

Baby Audrina was born with one third of her heart outside of her body - a rare and often fatal heart condition. It was first discovered when her mother, 25-year old Ashley Cardenas was 16 weeks pregnant.

Barely a day after her birth on October 15th, baby Audrina was rushed for open heart surgery.

Doctors at the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston operated on her for 6 hours. They had to create a cavity to fit her tiny, beating heart and then cover it with skin from other parts of her body.

Three months later, baby Audrina is thriving and making progress every day. But doctors say they will eventually perform reconstructive surgery to give her a sternum when she's older.

[Ashley Cardenas, Mother]:
"They will actually take part of her rib bones to perform some type of protection over her heart that will eventually grow with her but all that depends on how big and strong she grows before they'll decide on doing surgery, plastic surgery for that."

For now, baby Audrina must wear a protective shield around her chest that will protect her heart as she continues to grow.

Only eight in one million babies are born with this rare heart condition.

Of those eight, 90 percent are either stillborn or die within the first three days of life. But despite the odds, Audrina is leaving the hospital today.

[Ashley Cardenas, Mother]:
"I'm very excited, very anxious, nervous, all at once that we are able to go home. But, it's a very very big step it's been a blessing to finally say we're going home after three and a half months."

Needless to say, they are excited to leave the hospital.

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