file:///C:/Users/Anna%20Green/Downloads/Untitled%20document%20(3).pdf
For my project, I made a model of a chest with the rare heart condition, Ectopia Cordis. It was my goal to simulate the effects of this condition as it would appear on a newborn, and depict how the heart develops outside of the chest cavity, and is made visible from the abdominal wall. I based my topic on Course Objective #42, as I wanted to learn more about abnormalities in the formation and structure of the heart. I believe I also briefly touched on Objective #19 as well, as this defect is formed during the early development of a fetus. This condition is cause when the sternum doesn’t fuse properly in utero and as the heart forms, it does so from the protection of the chest cavity. Despite the high mortality rate at infancy, several patients with this condition are able to still maintain a lifestyle, but are at risk of higher health complications. To simulate the condition, I baked a loaf of bread to act as the chest area and inserted a potato in the center to act as the heart. I used red dye and spray glue to give my “heart” a more realistic, textured appearance at it emerges through the “cavity”. 
