Ectopia cordis is a rare congenital defect where the heart is completely displaced outside the chest wall. Cantrell's pentalogy is an embryologic anomaly with five classic midline deficiencies often associated with ectopia cordis. Here we present a case of thoraco-abdominal ectopia cordis, brief literature review, and possible implications for changes in antenatal care.

Background: Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is defined as the abrupt loss of heart function an occurrence without physical contact (absent commotio cordis). SCA's morbidity ratio 1:50,000 all deaths. The published estimates on SCA suggest that 11% victims have a normal heart. Current screening investigations include electrocardiography (ECG), echography, 24-hour ECG monitoring, eliciting stres...

Sternal clefts, ectopia cordis, and Cantrell's pentalogy continue to be very rare congenital anomalies in pediatric surgery. The prenatal diagnosis is easily made with ultrasound by visualizing the heart outside the thoracic cavity. Ectopia cordis is frequently associated with other congenital defects involving multiple organ systems. We report a case of ectopia cordis with successful surgical ...

Ectopia cordis in man is a relatively rare anomaly and has been known for many years, being first reported in 1671 by Neil Stensen (Willius, 1948). A translation of the relevant excerpt from Stensen's article reads, ". . . the sternum was split and the heart, liver and spleen, most of the intestine and right kidney have passed out through the split being thus uncovered." This description is und...