sofidexFor patientsAre you a clinician? Clinical site
Ask Sofi
Listen
Patient SupportEmergencies & Reporting
Log inSign up

Warning-sign checks

Ectopia cordis: when to get help

Go through these in order and stop at the first one that applies. If you are reading this for someone else, answer for them.

  1. 1

    Is any of this happening now?

    Call 911

    An exposed heart at birth is an emergency requiring immediate specialist newborn care.

    If ectopia cordis is unexpectedly present during a birth outside hospital, call emergency medical services at once.

    Do not push the heart into the chest or handle it unnecessarily.

    After hospital discharge, call emergency services for:

    • Blue or grey lips, face, or skin
    • Severe breathing difficulty, pauses in breathing, or collapse
    • Unresponsiveness or extreme difficulty waking
    • Heavy bleeding or sudden opening of a surgical wound
    • Sudden severe paleness, cold skin, or other signs of worsening circulation
    Other emergency signs, for anyone
    • Someone who is struggling to breathe, gasping, choking, or cannot get words out
    • Someone who has chest pain, tightness or pressure lasting more than a few minutes
    • Someone who has sudden weakness or drooping on one side of the face or body, slurred speech, or sudden confusion
    • Someone who is unconscious, or cannot be woken
    • Someone who is bleeding heavily and it will not stop with firm pressure
    • Someone who has had a seizure that will not stop, or does not wake up afterwards
    • Someone who has lips or skin that look pale, blue, grey or blotchy
    • Someone who you believe has taken an overdose or swallowed something poisonous
  2. 2

    Is any of this happening?

    Be seen today

    Contact the child's specialist team promptly for fever, increasing wound redness, drainage or swelling, worsening breathlessness, repeated vomiting, poor feeding, fewer wet nappies, unusual sleepiness, or a clear fall in activity.

    Follow the discharge plan about symptoms needing same-day assessment.

    Do not wait for the next appointment if new concerns arise.

  3. 3

    Does any of this apply?

    Book an appointment

    Continue routine follow-up for growth, development, heart and lung function, medicines, and future surgery.

The article also says

A prenatal diagnosis does not usually place the pregnant person in immediate danger, but timely referral to fetal medicine and congenital heart specialists is essential for testing and delivery planning.

Every sign above is quoted from the sofidex article on Ectopia cordis. If you are not sure, err upward — it is always reasonable to be checked.