RIYADH, 11 July 2005 — Two weeks after the separation surgery at the King Abdul Aziz Medical City for National Guard, one of the conjoined twins, Alaa, started to take milk normally. The other twin, Walaa, took her milk through a tube in her stomach since she requires mild artificial respiration support due to her heart condition. Since their separation, the twins have been fed intravenously.
“The twins continue to do well. Their condition has stabilized and there are no major problems facing them,” said Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, chief surgeon and head of the multidisciplinary team.
Referring to Alaa, Dr. Al-Rabeeah said she was now completely stable and all her organs are back to normal, including her heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and bowel. “All medications have been stopped, and Alaa is breathing normally. She is now smiling and has no complications.”
Walaa, continues to require technical support due to her feeble heart. “The heart condition is stabilizing with the help of medication and she is expected to be taken off the ventilator within a few days,” said Dr. Rabeeah. “All her other organs have returned to normal condition, including her liver, kidney and bowel,” the surgeon added.
The twins are expected to remain in the Pediatric Intensive Care for another 10 days.
Dr. Al-Rabeeah recalled that his team had to rush the separation due to major congenital anomalies affecting Walaa’s heart. She had a large hole between the atria and the ventricles and hypoplasia of the right ventricle. “These anomalies lead to heart failure and the surgical team decided to speed up the separation to protect Alaa,” he added.
