RIYADH, 8 March 2006 — Hafsa and Elham, the Moroccan conjoined twins who underwent an 18-hour surgical operation at the National Guard’s King Abdul Aziz Medical City, were improving yesterday.
According to Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, head of the multidisciplinary team that operated on the twins on Saturday, the surgery went smoothly without any complications.
“They are in a stable condition. All vital signs including cardiac, liver and kidney are returning to normal function. There are no complications,” Al-Rabeeah said.
Both twins have completely woken up from the anesthesia. They have opened their eyes and recognized their mother with a smile and a cry.
Al-Rabeeah said that 48 hours after the operation the twins were stabilized enough to have the respirator removed. They are now both breathing normally without any support.
“Their bowels have started to function gradually, and they are expected to commence bottle-feeding within the coming day or two,” he added.
The twins are expected to remain in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for approximately two to three weeks.
Al-Rabeeah also said the condition of their incisions were excellent with no signs of infection or complications.
He again stated his appreciation to the fatherly and humanitarian generosity of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah who had directed the surgical team to operate on the twins.
Hafsa and Elham are the 11th conjoined twins to be separated at the King Abdul Aziz Medical City.
The king had earlier supported operations to separate conjoined twins from countries such as Egypt, Poland, the Philippines and Malaysia in a gesture that illustrates the humanity of the Kingdom to offer its services, regardless of faith, color or ethnic background.
