Manama: The two conjoined Saudi twins separated two days ago at a
hospital in Riyadh are recovering, the head of the medical team who
performed the surgery has said.
“The medical condition of Reem and Rana is stable, thank God, 48 hours
after the successful separation,” Abdullah Al Rabeeah, the team leader
and Saudi Arabia’s health minister, said.
The separated sisters are on an artificial respirator, but will be
gradually eased off. Their movements are normal and they are expected to
remain at the paediatric intensive care unit at the King Abdul Aziz
Medical City for National Guards for two weeks, he added.
The stay allows the medical team to monitor more closely the
development of their condition following the delicate surgery, local
Arabic daily Al Madinah reported on Sunday.
The twins will be transferred to the children’s ward for further rehabilitation and physiotherapy.
The 13-hour surgery on Thursday to part the twins’ lower abdomen,
pelvis, fused urogenital system and lower back was carried out by a team
of experts in anaesthesia, urology, orthopaedics, paediatrics, plastic
surgery and nursing.
The twins’ parents, elated by the success of the surgery, expressed
their gratitude to Saudi King Abdulllah Bin Abdul Aziz for his
compassion and for supporting the surgery and to the medical team for
their prowess.
Saudi Arabia has gained an impressively outstanding reputation for
surgeries to separate conjoined twins, both from the country and from
abroad. - GN