New Delhi, Aug 28 - A two-day-old born with his heart protruding from his chest is posing a challenge to doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) as they battle to save the infant suffering from the 'rarest of rare defects'.

Kept in the ICCU (intensive cardiac care unit) of the Cardio-Thoracic Sciences Centre, the infant was brought to the premier institute Friday morning from Chapra in Bihar by his father Chander Manjhi, a farmer.

'Born two days back with his heart outside his chest, the child was brought to the hospital wrapped in an unclean cloth,' A.K. Bisoi, a cardiologist and additional professor at the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Department, told IANS.

'He is completely dehydrated and there are chances of infection as he travelled 24 hours in a train. We will do the surgery once we rule out infection,' he said.

Bisoi said the child is suffering from a disease known as Thoracic Ectopia Cordis, which is a birth defect.

In this, the heart is abnormally located. In most cases, the heart protrudes from the chest, while in some cases, it is situated in the abdominal cavity or neck.

'This defect occurs in five to nine cases per one million births and the mortality rate is very high. In such cases, there are mostly stillbirths or they die shortly after birth,' he said.

Given that it is a rare surgery, the institute has formed a team of five doctors, including pediatrics cardiologists.

The child, born after a Cesarean section at a hospital in Chhapra, was brought to the institute after doctors detected the defect.

As the mother Vibha Manjhi is still in hospital, the father brought the child with him.