RIYADH: Having visited the Moroccan twins who were separated on Saturday, Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said yesterday that the infants are in a steady and stable condition at King Fahd Medical City (KAMC).
A multidisciplinary team headed by Al-Rabeeah performed a marathon surgery on the twins who shared a liver and pancreas, and the upper part of their intestines. The separation was carried out in seven phases and took 13 hours and 20 minutes. This was the 23rd separation to be carried out in the Kingdom.
Dr. Al-Rabeeah said that the twins were brought from Morocco on the instructions of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, who directed that the twins and their parents be welcomed and that necessary tests be carried out in separating the twins at KAMC.
Al-Rabeeah, praised King Abdullah’s gesture of kindness in bringing the twins to the Kingdom and providing all that is necessary for their separation.
“Both Azizah and Saeedah are breathing normally after being taken off artificial respirators,” the health minister said. He pointed out that all vital signs are good and that their organs are functioning normally.
“The twins are no longer on antibiotics but continue to be under pain relief management for the time being. They will remain in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for a few more weeks under the close observation of the medical team before being transferred to Ward 7 to start their rehabilitation program,” he added. The twins are interacting with their parents and the medical team.
Following the removal of the artificial respirator, the twins’ mother carried Saeedah independent from her sister for the first time in her life, something that led the mother to become emotionally overwhelmed and cry. The mother thanked King Abdullah profusely for granting her daughters a new lease of life.
