Once the father brought him here, doctors and nurses were surprised to see such a 'rarest of the rare' case.

Bisoi said these cases can be treated surgically but in general, involve lengthy and very complicated pediatric cardiothoracic surgery.

Seeing the poor economic condition of the parent, the institute is conducting the surgery free of cost.

'The surgery is a multi-layered procedure and might take months. We have to create space step by step and the chest wall has to be reconstructed. So far, about 227 such cases have been reported in the world and of these, only three to four have survived. In India, no infant with such a defect has survived,' he added.

'Usually, the doctors come to know about the abnormality in three to four weeks of foetal life when the heart starts developing. The heart usually shifts to its original position. But in this case, it did not happen,' Bisoi pointed out.

He said in most cases when doctors detect the abnormality, they counsel the parents, especially the mother, whether they want to continue with the pregnancy or abort.

'If they decide to go with the pregnancy, they are referred to hospitals that are equipped to handle such cases,' Bisoi said.

The infant's father Chander, unaware of the complications involved, sat quietly outside the ward.

'I am very poor and my wife is still in hospital. They have admitted my child and they are treating him. They have told me that he would be fine. I hope to take him back soon,' he told IANS.