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American Morning
Twins Knew Risk Before Operation
Aired July 08, 2003 - 09:47 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A historic operation ending tragically in Singapore. The 29-year-old conjoined twins separated by surgeons earlier today, neither survived long enough after that operation ended.
CNN's medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta watching that operation from the very start. And we knew it was dangerous. We knew it was precarious. It had never been done before. And the end it was not the way doctors in that team had hoped in Singapore. Good morning, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Yes, there really was no precedent, Bill. So everyone says what was to be expected, hard to say, given that adults had never been separated like this before.
Even more remarkable, Bill, is the decisions were made all along the way. Certainly this process, people have become familiar with over the last couple of days. In fact, it's been going on for months and certainly years for the Bijani twins.
And it also takes place, the decision making, that is, during the operation itself. There came a point, imagine if you will, Bill, there came a point where doctors had to decide whether or not to continue on with the separation or to just go ahead and stop. They actually went out and spoke to the family. And at the press conference earlier, this is what the doctors had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOO CHOON YONG, RAFFLES HOSPITAL CHAIRMAN: The team wanted to know once again what are the wishes of Ladan and Laleh. And we were told that Ladan and Laleh's wishes were to be separated under the consensus (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: Under all circumstances, Bill. So they used foresight of the conversations they had with the Bijani twins before the operation, confirmed that under all circumstances, even as it turns out the circumstance of death, the Bijani twins wanted to be separated.
Listen, Bill. Nobody thought that this was going to be easy. Everyone knew that there were great risks involved. they addressed those concerns at well at the press conference earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LOO: When we undertook this challenge, we knew the risks were great. We knew that one of scenarios was that we may lose both of them. Ladan and Laleh knew it too. We were hoping and trying to do better than (UNINTELLIGIBLE). But, alas, we didn't make it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: And that is the story, Bill, as you have it now at this hour. I will tell you, it's unlikely that adult conjoined twins would be separated again, given that the advanced medical techniques exist today. Most twins who are born conjoined will likely be separated at birth. We may never see this, what we saw over the last couple of days, we may never see that again -- Bill.
HEMMER: Well, there hope. Sanjay, thanks. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, our own neurosurgeon here at CNN.
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 July 8, 2003 - 09:47 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: A historic operation ending tragically in Singapore. The 29-year-old conjoined twins separated by surgeons earlier today, neither survived long enough after that operation ended.
CNN's medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta watching that operation from the very start. And we knew it was dangerous. We knew it was precarious. It had never been done before. And the end it was not the way doctors in that team had hoped in Singapore. Good morning, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Yes, there really was no precedent, Bill. So everyone says what was to be expected, hard to say, given that adults had never been separated like this before.
Even more remarkable, Bill, is the decisions were made all along the way. Certainly this process, people have become familiar with over the last couple of days. In fact, it's been going on for months and certainly years for the Bijani twins.
And it also takes place, the decision making, that is, during the operation itself. There came a point, imagine if you will, Bill, there came a point where doctors had to decide whether or not to continue on with the separation or to just go ahead and stop. They actually went out and spoke to the family. And at the press conference earlier, this is what the doctors had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOO CHOON YONG, RAFFLES HOSPITAL CHAIRMAN: The team wanted to know once again what are the wishes of Ladan and Laleh. And we were told that Ladan and Laleh's wishes were to be separated under the consensus (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: Under all circumstances, Bill. So they used foresight of the conversations they had with the Bijani twins before the operation, confirmed that under all circumstances, even as it turns out the circumstance of death, the Bijani twins wanted to be separated.
Listen, Bill. Nobody thought that this was going to be easy. Everyone knew that there were great risks involved. they addressed those concerns at well at the press conference earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LOO: When we undertook this challenge, we knew the risks were great. We knew that one of scenarios was that we may lose both of them. Ladan and Laleh knew it too. We were hoping and trying to do better than (UNINTELLIGIBLE). But, alas, we didn't make it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA: And that is the story, Bill, as you have it now at this hour. I will tell you, it's unlikely that adult conjoined twins would be separated again, given that the advanced medical techniques exist today. Most twins who are born conjoined will likely be separated at birth. We may never see this, what we saw over the last couple of days, we may never see that again -- Bill.
HEMMER: Well, there hope. Sanjay, thanks. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, our own neurosurgeon here at CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
