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CNN Live At Daybreak
Conjoined Twins Separated
Aired October 13, 2003 - 04:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To say there is joy in Texas this morning would be the understatement of the year. After a grueling 35 hours, Egyptian conjoined twins are conjoined no more. Dad fainted. Mom cried.
Alphonso Van Marsh has some more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some 34 hours into an operation on conjoined twins Mohamed and Ahmed Ibrahim, doctors say they successfully separated the boys that were born joined at the head.
DR. KENNETH SHAPIRO, CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER: So, at this point, we can say that their vital signs are stable, and we don't see any sign that there have been any medical problems.
VAN MARSH: Doctors say, untangling Mohamed and Ahmed's complex maze of shared blood vessels went according to plan, but separating the boys' individual brains did not, and that it's too early to tell if there is brain damage from the procedure.
DR. DALE SWIFT, NEUROSURGEON: We knew that the brains would be, you know, sort of sticking and touching each other, but we thought in most of the cases, they'd peel apart.
VAN MARSH: It's been a long journey for the 2-year-olds. They come from a remote Egyptian village, where prospects of decent medical care are grim.
(on camera): The World Cranial Facial Foundation put up a Web page to raise awareness about Ahmed and Mohamed, and to raise funds for their separation surgery. The charity even paid to bring the twins from Egypt to America.
(voice-over): I first met the boys last year in Dallas, as they settled in with their American and Egyptian caretakers. They lit up when I spoke to them in Arabic.
Doctors say the twins' journey to independence is far from over.
DR. BRADLEY WERPIN, DIRECTOR, FOLLOW-UP CARE: The fact that their scalps and their heads were laid open for a long period of time gives us a significant concern for infection.
VAN MARSH: Doctors also say the parents are emotional about the good news to date.
DR. NASSER ABDEL AL, ABU EL REESH HOSPITAL, CAIRO, EGYPT: At one point when somebody came up and said that we have two boys, the father, Ibrahim, jumped to my neck and he hugged me and he fainted.
VAN MARSH: Doctors say the boys will be in a drug-induced coma for three to five days to give them a better chance of recovery.
Alphonso Van Marsh, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired October 13, 2003 - 04:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: To say there is joy in Texas this morning would be the understatement of the year. After a grueling 35 hours, Egyptian conjoined twins are conjoined no more. Dad fainted. Mom cried.
Alphonso Van Marsh has some more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some 34 hours into an operation on conjoined twins Mohamed and Ahmed Ibrahim, doctors say they successfully separated the boys that were born joined at the head.
DR. KENNETH SHAPIRO, CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER: So, at this point, we can say that their vital signs are stable, and we don't see any sign that there have been any medical problems.
VAN MARSH: Doctors say, untangling Mohamed and Ahmed's complex maze of shared blood vessels went according to plan, but separating the boys' individual brains did not, and that it's too early to tell if there is brain damage from the procedure.
DR. DALE SWIFT, NEUROSURGEON: We knew that the brains would be, you know, sort of sticking and touching each other, but we thought in most of the cases, they'd peel apart.
VAN MARSH: It's been a long journey for the 2-year-olds. They come from a remote Egyptian village, where prospects of decent medical care are grim.
(on camera): The World Cranial Facial Foundation put up a Web page to raise awareness about Ahmed and Mohamed, and to raise funds for their separation surgery. The charity even paid to bring the twins from Egypt to America.
(voice-over): I first met the boys last year in Dallas, as they settled in with their American and Egyptian caretakers. They lit up when I spoke to them in Arabic.
Doctors say the twins' journey to independence is far from over.
DR. BRADLEY WERPIN, DIRECTOR, FOLLOW-UP CARE: The fact that their scalps and their heads were laid open for a long period of time gives us a significant concern for infection.
VAN MARSH: Doctors also say the parents are emotional about the good news to date.
DR. NASSER ABDEL AL, ABU EL REESH HOSPITAL, CAIRO, EGYPT: At one point when somebody came up and said that we have two boys, the father, Ibrahim, jumped to my neck and he hugged me and he fainted.
VAN MARSH: Doctors say the boys will be in a drug-induced coma for three to five days to give them a better chance of recovery.
Alphonso Van Marsh, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
