BORN WITH HER HEART OUTSIDE HER BODY, BABY SERIN SURVIVED AGAINST THE ODDS AFTER A SERIES OF COMPLEX SURGERIES

A Diagnosis That Changed Everything

When Serin Park’s parents learned they were expecting another child, they had already spent years struggling with infertility. After 14 rounds of in vitro fertilization, the news of a pregnancy brought them enormous joy.

But during a detailed ultrasound at 12 weeks of pregnancy, their happiness was overshadowed by a devastating discovery. Their unborn daughter had ectopia cordis, an extremely rare congenital condition in which the heart develops outside the chest cavity.

The diagnosis meant Serin faced extraordinary challenges before she was even born. Her parents were told that survival was highly unlikely. Most babies with this condition do not survive pregnancy or the first days after birth.

Yet her parents refused to give up. They sought care at Asan Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea, hoping specialists could find a way to give their daughter a chance.

Born With Her Heart Completely Exposed

Serin remained in the womb until 38 weeks of pregnancy. When she was born on April 10, 2025, the medical team discovered that her condition was even more severe than prenatal imaging had suggested.

Her sternum, the bone normally protecting the heart, was absent. The skin and soft tissue across her chest and abdomen had also failed to form properly, leaving her heart completely exposed outside her body.

Part of her lungs could also move outward when she cried or strained, and her breathing was severely compromised. She needed mechanical ventilation and immediate protection from injury, infection and dehydration.

For her family and the medical team, every moment mattered. The challenge was not simply to protect the heart, but to find a way to move it safely into the chest without damaging nearby organs or disrupting circulation.

A Team Worked to Bring Her Heart Inside Her Chest

Doctors from pediatric cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, plastic surgery, pediatric cardiac surgery, obstetrics and other specialties worked together to develop a staged treatment plan.

The day after Serin was born, surgeons temporarily covered the open chest and exposed heart with an artificial skin substitute to protect the delicate structures.

Beginning in May, cardiothoracic surgeon Professor Sehoon Choi performed three operations to gradually move Serin’s heart into the chest cavity. The team carefully created enough room for the heart while protecting the surrounding organs and maintaining blood pressure.

By the third operation, the entire heart had been positioned inside her chest. On June 10, plastic surgeon Professor Eun Key Kim used skin grown from a small sample of Serin’s own skin to reconstruct the chest area.

Because her chest still lacked the protective bone structure normally provided by the sternum and ribs, doctors also used 3D-printing technology to create a custom chest protector. This helped protect the reconstructed area while her body continued to grow.

Her First Smile Became a Moment of Hope

Serin’s recovery required intensive monitoring and rehabilitation. Gradually, her condition improved enough for her to move from intensive care to a general hospital ward.

Around 100 days after birth, she smiled at her parents for the first time. For a family that had spent months fearing they might lose their long-awaited daughter, the moment became a precious sign of progress.

Serin was eventually discharged from the hospital and continued growing in good health, with regular outpatient appointments. Her medical team remained involved in monitoring her development and protecting her reconstructed chest.

Her journey was not yet complete. Doctors explained that she would need another operation when she was older to reconstruct the front of her chest using a more rigid structure covered with her own muscle and skin tissue. The procedure was expected to be considered when she was at least three years old.

A Rare Survival Made Possible by Teamwork

Ectopia cordis is an exceptionally rare condition, and survival can be extremely difficult when the heart is completely exposed outside the body. Serin’s treatment was reported by Asan Medical Center as the first successful case of its kind in a newborn in South Korea.

Her outcome depended on more than one operation. It required careful planning before birth, several stages of complex surgery, customized protective technology, rehabilitation and continued follow-up.

Her parents said they were deeply grateful to the medical team for continuing to search for solutions when the available experience and medical literature were limited.

Serin’s story does not mean every child with ectopia cordis will have the same outcome. Her condition remains complex, and further treatment is planned. But her progress demonstrates how coordinated specialist care can create possibilities even in extraordinarily difficult medical circumstances.

Source: Asan Medical Center Newsroom, “Born with Her Heart Outside Her Body, Serin Finds a Miracle at Asan Medical Center,” December 18, 2025.