When Dr. Ikenna Omeje, a Consultant Congenital Cardiac Surgeon from Nsukka, Enugu State, stepped into the operating theatre on April 16, 2025, it marked a deeply personal and historic moment in his medical career — and in modern surgical history.
Seven years ago, Dr. Omeje was part of a pioneering team at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust that delivered Vanellope Hope Wilkins, a baby born with ectopia cordis — an extremely rare condition where the heart develops outside the chest cavity. At birth, Vanellope had been given less than a 10% chance of survival.
Against all odds, Vanellope survived and thrived. And this month, Omeje led the first-ever chest reconstruction surgery of its kind in the UK for a child with ectopia cordis — closing a remarkable circle in the young girl’s life. “This was always going to be one of the most delicate surgeries we’ve ever done,” said Dr. Omeje. “We’ve been waiting years for the right moment to protect her heart properly — and it finally came.”
The complex procedure, which lasted more than nine hours, took place at the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre. Vanellope had lived her entire life without a breastbone, relying on only a thin layer of skin and an external brace to protect her exposed heart.
In a groundbreaking approach, the surgical team used Vanellope’s own ribs to create a permanent, internal protective cage for her heart — a method never before attempted in the UK.
To perform the delicate operation, Vanellope was placed on a heart-lung bypass machine, allowing surgeons to safely deflate and detach her heart from the surrounding tissue. They then performed a bilateral rib osteotomy, carefully breaking and reshaping her ribs to construct a stable chest wall.
The high-risk procedure was a collaborative effort, involving Consultant Paediatric Surgeon Nitin Patwardhan, visiting Cardiothoracic Surgeon Nagarajan Muthialu from Great Ormond Street Hospital, and a 20-person support team including anaesthetists, perfusionists, and theatre staff.
For Dr. Omeje, this was more than just a professional achievement — it was a continuation of a journey he began with Vanellope on the very first day of her life.
The surgery’s success marks a milestone in medical science and offers new hope to families around the world affected by similar conditions. Vanellope’s survival and transformation are a testament to the power of medical innovation, teamwork, and relentless human spirit.