LONDON: Jamaican twin Azaria Elson was discharged from intensive care on Thursday after stabilizing medically while beginning to eat and interact normally, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah has said.
Al-Rabeeah, the head of the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program and supervisor general of the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, said that the other twin, Azura, was still undergoing medical monitoring at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh.
He added that Azura was facing severe heart problems and required artificial respiration in intensive care. She is on medication to prevent acute heart failure and to help deal with her lung issues.
Al-Rabeeah noted that Azura had suffered with heart muscle hypertrophy since birth, with her heart pumping at less than 20 percent of normal. This required ongoing support and diuretics.
The Saudi Conjoined Twins Program’s medical team separated Azaria and Azura during a five-hour operation on Nov. 13.
Al-Rabeeah said that specialists in heart diseases and transplantation had concluded that Azura required a heart transplant to survive. However, due to her age, weight, and the incompatibility with available hearts, a transplant was not feasible, which had diminished her chances of survival. Azaria was healthy and ready to leave the hospital, he added.
The conjoined twins had shared a lower chest, abdomen, liver, and other lower-body organs prior to their separation.
A medical team of 25 consultants, specialists, nurses, and technical staff in anesthesia, pediatric surgery and plastic surgery operated in six stages to separate the conjoined twins in the 67th operation conducted by the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.
