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Baby Born Twice in Life-Saving Surgery
6 May
Summary
- Infant Cassian Joubert underwent a partial birth for surgery at 25 weeks.
- Doctors created an airway for Cassian while he was still connected to the placenta.
- After four months in NICU, Cassian returned home just in time for Christmas.

A Florida infant, Cassian Joubert, has a unique story of survival, having undergone a groundbreaking surgical procedure that involved a partial delivery. At 25 weeks of gestation, Cassian was partially delivered via C-section to allow surgeons to create an airway for him, as he suffered from congenital high airway obstruction syndrome. This condition, often fatal, affects approximately one in 50,000 births.
The innovative surgery, described as rare and novel by Orlando Health, allowed Cassian to receive life-saving support while still connected to his mother's placenta. After the procedure, Keishera Joubert remained hospitalized until Cassian could be fully delivered. Following his birth in August, Cassian began a long journey in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.
After spending four months and nine days in the NICU, Cassian was finally able to go home with his family just before Christmas. While he still requires a ventilator to breathe due to a thick membrane impeding his airway, his homecoming was a significant milestone celebrated by his parents and medical team.
Dr. Emanuel Vlastos, the lead surgeon, plans to present Cassian's case at an international medical conference. He expressed immense pride in witnessing the Jouberts take their son home, calling it the "magnum opus" of the entire experience.