A child born to Firoji, 20, at Tadapatri in Anantapur, was born with its heart beating outside of its body.
Firoji was admitted at the Proddutoor government hospital, where she gave birth to a boy. Both the parents and the doctors were shocked to see the child's heart beat precariously outside the body.
With the heart thus under severe stress, the baby struggled for oxygen to survive. The doctors immediately arranged for an oxygen mask, and the baby's respiratory system stabilized after a while.
The hospital authorities explained that the baby's diaphragm was not fully developed at the time of delivery, and that this resulted in the heart being externally placed. The doctors have confirmed that the child's condition is critical, and have shifted him to a government hospital in Kurnool.