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​Surgeons Separate Conjoined Twins For Free As Parents Can’t Afford Procedure

​Surgeons Separate Conjoined Twins For Free As Parents Can’t Afford Procedure

After completing the painstaking procedure, the team huddled in for a celebratory selfie

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

A team of surgeons in India are making headlines for all the right reasons, having not only successfully separated three-day-old conjoined twins, but also done so for free.

After completing the painstaking procedure, the team huddled in for a celebratory selfie.

The baby girls, who are yet to be named, were joined at the tummy and had a combined weight of just 7lbs.

The five-hour operation, which took place on 6 December, saw the doctors anaesthetise both of the baby girls at the same time, before going on to separate their breastbones and livers.

The babies' parents had been understandably anxious about separating them, but thankfully the team at S. S. Hospital in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, had been able to convince them it would be for the best.

The girls before the surgery.
SWNS

The surgeons decided to complete the procedure for free as the girls' parents were unable to pay for the complex surgery.

Dr Vaibhav Pandey, assistant professor of paediatric surgery, said: "It was one of the rarest operations our hospital does.

"I am very happy that both survived in spite of the long operation and the children being weak.

"It was a challenging task."

The doctors' incredible selfie with the two babies still on the operating table celebrated the successful operation, which had apparently been difficult due to the infants' tiny blood supply.

But the 30-strong army of five surgeons, 10 doctors and 15 nurses managed to make it through - no wonder they all look so happy (and relieved) in the photo.

The babies are said to be doing well after the op.
SWNS

The babies, who were dehydrated before the op, are due to be discharged from hospital later this week. The hospital said they are both doing well, and they will be named during traditional rituals performed when they get home.

In even better news, the baby girls' birthday is already a positive thing, as it turns out those born in December are particularly special.

According to a study published in the Journal of Ageing Research, babies born in December are more likely to live exceptionally long lives, while another study of 1,749,400 people from the United States also found December babies are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease, according to the Washington Post.

What's more a US college student survey indicated that those born in December were less likely to moan or get all riled up, and a study in the International Journal of Sports Science found that December babies are more likely to be athletic.

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: World News, News, India