Condition of conjoined twins — Jaga and Kalia — from Odisha was today “critical”

Newdelhi:26/10/17: The condition of conjoined twins — Jaga and Kalia — from Odisha was today “critical” after a marathon surgery to separate them by a team of doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, a senior doctor at the hospital said.

The 28-month-old twins, who were joined from their heads, were successfully separated after an 18-hour-long surgery which started at 9:00 am yesterday and ended at 3:00 am today, he said.

According to the doctor, the twins are on ventilator and their condition is critical. They are under observation and are being monitored by a team of experts constantly. They are also being given blood transfusion continuously.

A team of about 30 specialists from the institute’s neurosurgery, neuro-anaesthesia and plastic surgery departments performed the second phase of the marathon surgery.

The twins, hailing from Milipada village under Phiringia block in Kandhamal district in Odisha, are craniopagus conjoined twins, joined at the heads. This is a very rare condition, a senior doctor had said.

The first phase of the surgery was performed on August 28 when the doctors created venous bypass to separate the veins shared by the babies that returns blood to the heart from the brain.

The conjoined twins were admitted in the AIIMS on July 13.

A K Mahapatra, the chief of the neurosciences centre, earlier had said the twins suffer from the condition which afflicts one in 30 lakh children, of which 50 per cent die either at birth or within 24 hours.