Cuttack: The surgery of conjoined twins from Nayagarh –Ganga and Jamuna — is not possible until they are nine months old, a team of doctors treating them at Sishu Bhawan said Saturday.
Speaking about the health condition, treatments and future treatment plans at a press conference here, the doctors said the condition of the twin girls remained critical.
“While the twin girls have complications in breathing, there is high risk of infection. At present our focus is to keep them alive. As per medical science, the operation of the twins cannot be performed until they reach nine months. While the twin sisters were weighting 3.4kg at their birth, now their weight increased to 3.9kg. It is not possible to perform surgery on them till their weight become 9kg,” the head of the doctors’ team and paediatric unit of Sishu Bhawan Dr PK Jena said.
“At this age and with little weight, the twins cannot tolerate the effect of anaesthesia. We have to wait until they reach at least nine months. Till that period our focus is to save the twins from malnutrition and infection. Efforts are on to improve their condition by administering oxygen, saline and antibiotics,” Jena added.
“Once they reach the suitable age, their surgery will be conducted at operation theatre at Sishu Bhawan. All facilities are available at the OT here for their surgery,” Sishu Bhawan superintendent Saroj Kumar Satpathy said.
Dr Manoj Kumar Pattnaik, head of the cardiothoracic department of SCB, said, “Although the twins share single heart and liver, there are complications in their blood vessels. It is medically termed as complex cardiac anomaly. This type of surgery is very critical and we may lose one of them during surgery.”
In 2003, the surgery of a conjoined twin was conducted at Sishu Bhawan. While the twins had separate hearts and livers, they were joined at their gullet. However, the twins died a few days after surgery which had put a question on the surgery of critically joined twins.
Speaking about safety measures, Sishu Bhawan superintendent said, “We have conducted the first phase checkups of the twins. The second phase checkups will be conducted before the surgery. A team of at least 30 doctors will be formed for the surgery of the twins. After surgery, 15 doctors each will take care of their health and treatments.”
PNN