Florida Doctors Separate Conjoined Twin Boys In 12-Hour Surgery

After five months of being conjoined since they were born on Dec 12, 2014, twins Carter and Connor successfully underwent a 12-hour separation surgery on May 7. The procedure, done by a team of expert pediatric specialists at the Wolfson Children’s Hospital, started at 11 am.

By 3:34 pm, the two baby boys were separated, and by 6:29 pm, Connor’s surgery was done. He was transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the hospital from the operating room. Twin Carter joined him after his surgery ended at 6:47 pm, reports Fox News.

Prior to the surgery, the twins were prepared for several months by undergoing MRI studies, medical illustration of conjoined areas, logistical and clinical simulations of the final separation procedure and specific procedures. The infants, who remained in the hospital from their birth to their separation surgery, were kept healthy and strong as possible while confined at the medical centre’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit.

The team had 17 team members that included Dr Daniel Robie, the hospital’s chief of pediatric general surgery; Dr Nicholas Poulos, pediatric general surgeon; and Dr Stephen Dunn, division chief of Solid Organ Transplant for Nemour’s Children’s Specialty Hospital.

A day after their birth, the twins had their first surgery to repair a ruptured omphalocele, a condition that could be life-threatening. The condition was due to the protrusion of the shared small intestine through their abdominal wall’s weak area. Dr Robie and Dr Poulos positioned back the twins’ shared intestines inside the abdominal wall. To keep their bowel inside, the surgeons placed a temporary mesh patch.

Their second surgery, prior to the May 7 procedure, removed the temporary mesh on Jan 2, 2015 and partially separated their shared small intestines so they could feed orally. The doctors also fused their two bile ducts.

Their parents, Michelle Brantley and Bryan Mirabal, expressed their gratitude to the medical team that took care of Carter and Connor who were born five days earlier than the scheduled Caesarian section when they were 36 weeks. Carter measured 19 inches long, while Connor was short by one inch.

While the Brantley boys just finished their separation surgery, another pair of conjoined twins, Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith, were separated for the first time since their successful Feb 17 26-hour surgery when Knatalye Hope was released from the Texas Children’s Hospital on May 8 after doctor’s confirmed she was strong enough to be sent home to her mother, Elysse Mata, just in time for Mother’s Day.

The Mata twins were born on April 11, 2014. They had a common chest wall, diaphragm, intestines, lungs, heart lining and pelvis. Last month, after their first birthday, doctors removed the rod in Knatalye’s pelvis and added a gastronomy button so she could feed.

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