Conjoined Odisha Twins Critical After Being Successfully Separated

Jaga and Balia, 28-month-old twins who were born joined at the head, hail from Milipada village in Odisha.

Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik dedicated a sculpture to craniopagus twins Jaga and Balia.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@sudarsansand)

Conjoined twins Jaga and Balia, 28-month-old craniopagus twins from Odisha, are said to be in a critical condition following a rare surgery to separate them that was termed a success.

After a marathon surgery to separate them by a team of doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, on 25 October, a senior doctor at the hospital said on 26 October that the twins are on ventilators and their condition is critical. They are under observation and are being monitored by a team of experts constantly. They are also being given blood transfusion continuously.

Conjoined Twins Separated

The twin brothers, who hail from Milipada village in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, were joined at the head, a rare medical condition. They were admitted to AIIMS, New Delhi, with the help of the state government on 13 July, after a health check-up at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack in July.

On 28 August, a team of 40 doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi began their first attempt at separating the boys.

The 28-month-old twins, who were joined from their heads, were successfully separated after an 18-hour-long surgery which started at 9:00 am Wednesday and ended at 3:00 am on Thursday, 25 October.

Senior Doctor, AIIMS Delhi

After the hospital announced on 25 October that the twins were successfully separated, congratulations began to pour in.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the team of specialists from the institute's neurosurgery, neuro-anaesthesia and plastic surgery departments for the successful separation of the heads.

18-Hour-Long Surgery

The surgery was carried out by a team of 30 specialists, including neurosurgeons, general surgeons, paediatricians, plastic surgeons and cardiologists.

“No experts from abroad are involved in the procedure. The twins were shifted to the operation theatre at 6 am. The surgery began at 9 am and is expected to last for over 22 hours,” a senior doctor at AIIMS had said before the surgery.

Jaga and Balia are 28-month-old craniopagus twins.(Photo Courtesy: The New Indian Express)

AK Mahapatra, the chief of the neurosciences centre, had earlier said that the twins suffer from a condition which afflicts 1 in 30 lakh children, of which 50 percent die either at birth or within 24 hours.

The surgery is feasible only on 25 percent of the survivors, while the rest continue to live with the condition.

There is less than a 20 percent chance of survival among those who undergo this surgery. Such operations are extremely challenging. 

A K Mahapatra, Chief of the Neurosciences Centre

The chief minister had earlier announced Rs 1 crore financial assistance while Kandhamal administration gave Rs 1 lakh for their surgery. The Collector had also requested all government employees to donate their one day’s salary for the treatment of the 27-month old conjoined twins. Odisha's Health and Family Welfare minister PK Jena had visited the conjoined twins at AIIMS, New Delhi and assured facilitation of their treatment.

(This story has been updated to reflect the medical condition of the twins. With inputs from PTI)

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