Kieran Veitz American girl born with heart, liver and intestines out Country: USA

1. Kiran Veitch: A Miracle Girl Born with Her Heart Outside Her Chest
2. A Groundbreaking Approach to Save Kiran
3. A Risky Operation Saves Kiran's Life
4. A Long Road to Recovery

Kiran Veitch: A Miracle Girl Born with Her Heart Outside Her Chest

Kiran Veitch, an American girl, was born with her heart, liver, and intestines outside her chest. Meet Kiran, the miracle girl born with her heart outside her body. Doctors discovered this incredibly rare condition when her mother, Caitlin, who had never given birth before, underwent a routine ultrasound at 20 weeks of pregnancy. On the grainy image, Kiran's tiny body appeared, but her little heart was beating 'separately,' a few centimeters to the left of her body. This meant that after Kiran's birth, it was urgently necessary to deliver her to the operating room, without even giving her parents, Caitlin and Brian, the chance to hold their daughter. Kiran required an extremely complex surgery, aimed at 'reconfiguring' her entire body. 'We had no idea that something like this was even possible,' says Caitlin, a photographer from Bismarck, North Dakota. 'New parents can imagine anything, but not this.' 'It was difficult to comprehend. We understood that our daughter had slim chances. It was an anxious time.'

A Groundbreaking Approach to Save Kiran

In an attempt to help Kiran, doctors at Mayo Clinic began developing an innovative technique using 3D visualization. Dr. Joseph Dearani stated, 'Kiran had one of the most, if not the most, rare congenital heart defects - a defect called ectopia cordis.' 'The only way to successfully address this was to provide a comprehensive approach, which required assembling a team of experts.' A 3D anatomical model of Kiran was created to prepare the surgeons - demonstrating in detail how the baby would look when born.

A Risky Operation Saves Kiran's Life

After an emergency cesarean section, a team of 60 different doctors from 12 different teams gathered together within one and a half hours to stabilize Kiran's condition and operate on her. The top priority was to return her heart back into her chest, a highly risky operation. Caitlin says, 'This was perhaps one of the most difficult moments. I didn't see my daughter when she was born.' 'I had to let the doctors take her away immediately so they could do whatever was necessary.' 'It was hard, but we had to agree to it. It took the doctors five hours to place Kiran's heart back into her chest.' 'It may not be long considering the complexity of the surgery, but it felt like an eternity to us. We just wanted to know that our daughter was okay.'

A Long Road to Recovery

Kiran successfully underwent the operation, but she had to stay in the Intensive Care Unit for four months. By the time Kiran reached six months old, she caught up developmentally with other children in her age group and went home. Now 18 months old, Caitlin's daughter will face several more surgical interventions in the near future. Currently, Kiran's family is raising funds to pay for her ongoing medical bills. However, Caitlin and Brian say they consider themselves the happiest parents in the world, watching their little girl's progress. 'Now we have a happy, beautiful, and calm child,' says Caitlin. 'Kiran requires regular hospital visits and further surgeries, but she feels simply marvelous, so there is no need for any emergency measures.' 'Even the specialist who is handling her case is amazed at how well she is developing. When we last visited him, he said, 'I don't even know how she does it.' 'We are extremely grateful to the doctors who saved our daughter. We know that many children born with a similar condition do not survive.' 'Now, the possibilities for our Kiran are simply boundless.'