A team of doctors and nurses made history when they successfully separated 17-day-old conjoined premature twins recently at the Tunku Azizah Hospital (HTA) in Kuala Lumpur.
According to HTA paediatric surgery head, Datuk Dr Zakaria Zahari, such surgery was usually done when the patients are between three and six-months-old.
However, he said, due to extrauterine twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, the 2.7kg twins had to undergo immediate surgery at the age of 17-days.
“The twins were successfully separated within 66 minutes without any major complications,” he said.
The conjoined twins of Omphalopagus type shared a liver, while other organs were found to be normal.
Dr Zakaria said preparation for the surgery began as early as 7.30am, and the twins were sent back to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at 2pm.
The pair of twin boys who were born at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) in Ipoh at 33 weeks were referred to HTA.
Dr Zakaria, together with six other paediatric surgeons and a paediatric anaesthesia team, along with 20 nurses and paediatric operating room staff were involved in the operation.
This is the third such surgery performed at the hospital since it was opened.
Meanwhile, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a Facebook post congratulated the HTA team, led by Dr Zakaria.
“Alhamdulilah, the twins have been successfully separated and are still being treated at the intensive care unit.”
He added the surgery took 10 hours, with a total of seven bags of blood, including blood components, required to ensure the stability and safety of the twins throughout the surgery.
