Ram, Lakshman successfully separated

RAIPUR: In the fourth such surgery in the country, doctors on Tuesday successfully separated ten-month-old conjoined male twins, who are joined at the stomach, after an operation at the Raipur Medical College hospital.

"The babies--Ram and Lakshman-- are doing well after the five-hour operation. All the health parameters are OK. We see a good chance of their survival," said Dr Ashok Sharma, Head of the  Department of Surgery.

Sharma headed the team of doctors that performed  the rare operation giving a new lease of life to the twins born to poor parents.

During the surgery, the liver, pancreas and the sternum (breastbone) were separated, Dr Sharma said. No complications were reported during the operation.

Both the babies shared common liver and pancreas along with some other portions of the body, but fortunately their heart and urinary organs are separate, Dr M P Pujhari, Deputy Superintendent of the hospital said.

"Since the bodies of the twin are joined, the doctors are facing problems in administering anaesthesia keeping in mind that some of their organs function in a combined manner," Pujhari said before the operation.

"It is a challenge before us to separate the ten-month-old conjoined twins Ram and Lakshman and we have accepted it to remove the rare anomaly,"  Pujhari had said.

The team of doctors that performed the operation included five senior physicians and three anaesthetists.

Ram Prasad Kohl, who offered coconuts at a local temple, said he is "very nervous" over seeing his separated children.

At about 10.00 AM, the twins were administered anaesthesia and the operation to separate them were completed at about 4.00 PM, Sharma said.

Although initially there were apprehensions about the doses of anaesthesia as the body were one and anaesthesia had to be given to both, but "there were no problems in that front also," said Chief of Anaesthesia Department Kamal Kishor Sahare.

After the operation, both the babies were shifted to the Intensive Care Unit.

However, one member of the team, Dr Salim V P told PTI "after the reversal of anaesthesia the babies cried, which was a good signal and the rest of the things are with the God."

For the operations some sophisticated equipments like Harmonic scalpel for lesser bleeding during operation, were hired from outside, doctors also said.