LOS ANGELES, Sept. 12, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- The nine-month-old conjoined twin girls -- Baby 'A' and Baby 'B' -- both remain listed in serious condition, with stable vital signs following the 24-hour surgical procedure to separate them. The surgical team, which involved as many as 60 medical personnel, was led by pediatric surgeon James E. Stein, M.D.
"There is no reason to think they will not survive or lead healthy lives," Dr. Stein said. The identical twins were born with a triplet sister who is not identical. It is believed to be only the second such case.
The exact time of separation occurred at 11:17 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2003. The procedure began at 6 a.m. that morning, and concluded at approximately 6 a.m. on Thursday.
According to Dr. Stein, both girls are medically sedated and resting comfortably in the intensive care unit.
Note: Due to a request by the parents, no filming or photographing of the twins is permitted by media, however they have allowed the hospital to make available selected photos and b-roll taken by the hospital. Nineteen images are available on the hospital website (www.childrenshospitalLA.org), and can be made available as JPEGs upon request. B-roll that was distributed at a press conference held yesterday is available. It includes footage of the babies prior to surgery, as well as the surgery itself.
There will 'not' be daily media briefings, however, requests for interviews with Dr. Stein or other members of the surgical team may be coordinated through the hospital's Office of Communications. Please contact either Roberta Nichols; (323) 669-4133, or Steve Rutledge; (323) 669-4121.