Conjoined twins from MP leave AIIMS to lead separate lives

Dr M Bajpai,HoD,paediatric surgery department,said,“Their lower chest and upper abdomen — including the chest bone — were joined,and they had a common liver. Thankfully,the hearts were separate,with their own respective blood supplies,enclosed within a common pericardium (a double-walled sac enclosing the heart). We essentially had to separate the sternum and pericardium,and divide the liver into two halves,before closing them up.”

Doctors said the liver,being the largest solid organ in the body,contributes to 1/4 th of the body’s blood supply and its separation was the most critical part of the eight-hour long surgery which was done on May 23.

A laser beam was used to cut the liver,which minimised blood loss. “We used an ultrasonic harmonic laser beam to slice the liver. Both girls needed only 150-1,200 ml of blood after that,” Dr Bajpai said.

“The twins were kept in the ICU,for over a month after surgery as we wanted to ensure that there were no chances of infection,” Dr Sandeep Aggarwal,professor of paediatric surgery and a member of the team which operated on the babies,said.

“The babies are healthy and we hope they lead happy,successful lives. Our first case of separation of conjoined twins was in 1969 and their marriage cards arrived at the institute in 1996. We hope this will be another such success story,” he said.

The twins were born on November 19,2012. Their mother Shashikala said though she had undergone several ultrasounds during her pregnancy,the conjoined state of her babies was never told to her.

“We were shocked after their birth. I underwent two ultrasounds in the third and eight month of pregnancy in a government centre and others in private clinics. Though I was told I would have twins,I never knew my babies would be joined,” she told Newsline.

Shashikala and her husband then took the babies to a private hospital. A local television channel in the district featured the babies and the plight of the parents,which came to the notice of the area MP,Ganesh Singh.

“We visited Ganeshji,and he spoke to the doctors in AIIMS and helped us get the babies admitted on December 12,” Shashikala said.

Doctors in AIIMS conducted various scans to identify the areas of fusion. “Our main worry was that the babies had a common heart,which would complicate matters considerably,since separation of hearts is near impossible,” Dr Bajpai said.

AIIMS has performed around 10 such separation surgeries since 1969 and doctors say the incidence of conjoinment in girls is more common.

Satna MP Ganesh Singh said he hoped the MP government would fund the education of the girls.