On Monday, four-month-old conjoined twins successfully underwent separation surgery in Fort Worth, Texas.
JamieLynn and AmieLynn, daughters of Amanda Arciniega and James Finley, are the first conjoined twins to be separated at Cook Children's Medical Center. According to a hospital release, the operation took 11 hours and involved more than a dozen medical specialists, including four pediatric surgeons, three anesthesiologists, and two plastic surgeons – one for each daughter.
JamieLynn and AmieLynn arrived on Earth on October 3rd, and spent the first month in the NICU at the hospital where they were born. A month later, the sisters were moved to Cook Children's Hospital's NICU, where they would later undergo the separation procedure.
"It took us five hours from rolling into the room until the time we actually cut skin, and the reason is safety," Valerie Gibbs, director of perioperative services
The team began the separation once both newborns were comfortably sedated. After dividing the liver, the team moved cautiously to the back of the girls' abdominal wall to complete the dissection. The family received the news they had been waiting for at 3 p.m. local time.
Over 50 doctors, nurses, and anesthesiologists collaborated to carefully separate the babies.
While one baby's surgery went smoothly, the other's wound has not yet healed. Both, though, are expected to recover, according to physicians.
Aimelynn and Jamielynn were rolled out of the operating room about 12 hours after surgery and are now in their own beds.
Both the family and the doctors rejoiced in the joyous occasion. These young sisters have spent their entire lives in a hospital, but their family is hoping that will soon change. Doctors have also stated that they will continue to monitor these females far into their adolescence.
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