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American Morning

Singapore Siamese Twins Have Been Separated

Aired April 10, 2001 - 11:22   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Also, from Asia today, in Singapore, two little girls from Nepal are now in separate beds for the first time in their lives. They're 11-month-old twins who were born joined at the head. After four grueling days of surgery, doctors successfully separated the little girls.

For more details now on their status, joining us on the phone from Singapore is Judith Tan. She is with Channel News Asia.

Judith, hello.

JUDITH TAN, CHANNEL NEWS ASIA: Hi, Daryn.

KAGAN: First, can you tell us how the little girls are doing?

TAN: Well, they're doing fine. They're stabilized and have been moved to the neonatal intensive-care unit at the Singapore General Hospital. The first baby, Jamuna, was out at 11:00 a.m. Singapore time, but the second baby, Ganga, came out seven hours later. Firstly, there wasn't enough skin grown, and so the doctors had to take some from her thighs, and then there was pressure in the brain cavity. So it was rather touch and go -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Do they think that either one of these little girls is going to have brain damage from this operation?

TAN: Well, the doctor says that it's still too early to tell, and they're still monitoring, waiting for the babies to gain consciousness -- Daryn.

KAGAN: We've heard of four or five days of surgery. Why did it take so long, and how do doctors possibly get through such an or deal?

TAN: Well, the doctors want to be cautiously optimistic. So they'd rather take the long route than the fast route, and there were two teams of 20 doctors, so they were taking turns, and only the full force of 20 doctors were on hand at the point of separation. The doctors said that it was a gamut of emotions that everyone was going through from near hysteria to actual euphoria once the babies were separated -- Daryn.

KAGAN: I read that they actually had to use manmade materials to complete this operation? TAN: Yes, they did. They had to use a manmade membrane as part of the dura, which is the membrane that protects the brain fluid, and they also had to use polymer sheets so that they could form part of the skull and form new bone cells to grow over the polymer sheets -- Daryn.

KAGAN: What's next for these little girls? Do they face more surgery?

TAN: They're waiting for these little girls to gain consciousness, and they'll be in Singapore for the next three months for doctors to monitor them, see if they need more plastic surgery, and it's a lifetime commitment. Though the doc -- the little girls have to go back to Nepal once they're stabilized, doctors will be flying up to monitor them, should they need any...

KAGAN: Do we expect -- do we expect to hear from their parents any time soon?

TAN: Well, the parents are keeping away from the media, understandably so because they were really worried for their babies, and they've been going around the temples in Singapore to pray for their safety. In the meantime, the father did promise that he'll come out once the girls have stabilized -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Very good. We wish them well. Thank you for that update. That is Judith Tan from Channel News Asia. Thank you for that report.

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