Hatrack River Forum: Twins separated, so far so good

This is topic Twins separated, so far so good in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :

I don't know if anyone else has been following this, but they separated 4 year old conjoined twins in Utah, in a 26 hour operation.

Everything pretty much went as well as possibly could be expected although they still have a long road to recovery. It's still a neat story though.

link:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=405283

AJ

Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :

[Cool]

Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :

They were fused at the midsection in such a way that it seems incredibly miraculous that they could have been seperated at all whatsoever.

Under the circumstances, 26 hours is a lightning speed operation. Which it pretty much has to be, considering how limited the timeframe for life support and anesthetic is on a frail baby body/bodies.

I'm so glad everything is going okay so far. It's got to be incredibly stressful for everyone involved.

Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :

*sniffle* -- gosh, those are precious girls. I sure hope they are OK and able to heal.

Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :

When an operation is going to take 26 hours do they setup a rotation of doctors? Or do they make the same poor fool stay at the table for as long as neccesary?

I imagine the 1st option makes much more sense. Also are there any risks inherent in keeping a child under the influence of anethesia for that long?

Anybody?

Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :

BlackBlade, there are always risks in anesthesia-- that's why every minute that can be shaved off the surgery is a good thing, an hour is wonderful.

There are always several doctors in the room. If one starts to feel fatigued, another takes over. However, usually the most skilled and experienced surgeon does as much of the most delicate work as possible. My mom has patients on a regular basis who have to go through cranial reconstruction at a very young age. It's always a risk, but it's essential. So there are a lot of prayers, and a lot of tears, with each surgery.

Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :

I think it is also a case of all of the doctors being nearby so that they are thoroughly breifed on what has happened and what will happen next, in case they need to step in. I'm guessing there were some rotations, even more so when the twins were separated and they began the reconstruction.

AJ

Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :

*nods* Probably the surgeons who weren't actually in the room were watching from a monitor in the next room so they would know exactly what was going on if they had to step in.

And probably the surgeons most experienced in skin grafts took over when it was time for the skin reconstruction/grafts, the ones most experienced in intestinal surgery took that part, etc.

Posted by peterh (Member # 5208) on :

This is a story about a great family. I actually visit another message board frequently which the father of the twins also visits. (It's a BYU sports board) Like, Hatrack, it's a part of my online family.

If you were moved by this story enough to make a donation, the Herrin's would love for you to donate in the girls' names to Primary Children's Hospital or The Make a Wish Foundation.