About Ikenna Omeje
Published
Our last Black History Month spotlight is making history right now. Ikenna Omeje is a congenital cardiac surgeon at the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre in Leicester.
In 2025 he was one of the lead surgeons in a UK-first operation for a girl born with her heart outside her chest. He had been part of the team when she was born in 2017.
The start
He is a consultant congenital cardiac surgeon at the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre in Leicester, operating on babies and children born with heart conditions.
The breakthrough
In April 2025 he and paediatric surgeon Nitin Patwardhan were part of an eight-hour operation that reshaped her own ribs, joining them at the front to rebuild her chest wall over her heart.
The legacy
He also led the team that operated on a premature baby weighing just 1.8 kg, the smallest child to have open-heart surgery in Leicester.
We believe in pushing the boundaries and I believed we had the ability to do it.
References
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. Miracle girl Vanellope returns to the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust for groundbreaking UK-first surgery. 23/04/2025. Available from: https://www.uhleicester.nhs.uk/news/miracle-girl-vanellope-returns-to-the-university-hospitals-of-leicester-nhs-trust-for-groundbreaking-uk-first-surgery/
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. You gave Fleur a life: tiny survivor reunites with heart surgeon who made the impossible possible. 08/04/2026. Available from: https://www.uhleicester.nhs.uk/news/you-gave-fleur-a-life-tiny-survivor-reunites-with-heart-surgeon-who-made-the-impossible-possible/
