Conjoined twins discharged from hospital after successful separation

A pair of formerly conjoined twins were discharged from HCMC Children’s Hospital in Vietnam on Wednesday morning, 7 October, 85 days after their separation.

16 months old Hoang Truc Nhi and Hoang Dieu Nhi were decked in matching pink alongside their parents during the farewell ceremony held in the hospital.

Truc Nhi and Dieu Nhi’s recovery was “near perfect,” said Truong Quang Dinh, hospital director. Their digestive and urinal functions are normal and stable, with the girls developing just like any other child their age, both physically and mentally.

However, they would require further surgery until age 18 for their bodies to fully develop, he said.

Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the HCMC Department of Health, said their separation surgery had gone down in history and exceeded doctors’ wildest imagination.

“We tried our best to fix what creation has yet to finish. The new journey has just begun, with many challenges ahead. I hope the girls would grow up healthy and safe,” Dinh said.

Hoang Anh, the girl’s father, said: “As parents, we are happy and grateful to the doctors and nurses who have let our girls be reborn, have independent bodies, and access a bright future.”

Hospital treatment costs had gone up to nearly VND1.3 billion ($55,968), of which VND600 million would be covered by medical insurance. Donations, however, have so far reached nearly VND2.4 billion, allowing the hospital to return VND1.5 billion to the family.

The twins’ parents had given the hospital around VND200 million in advance payments for future treatment.

Truc Nhi and Dieu Nhi were born conjoined at the pelvis. They were classified a pair of Ischiopagus Tetrapus (Quadripus) conjoined twins, having a symmetrical continuous longitudinal axis with their area of union not broken anteriorly.

The surgery process which took place on July 15, 2020, lasted for around 13 hours. Around 93 doctors, nurses and medical experts from several Vietnamese hospitals, including Tran Dong A, a doctor renowned for successfully separating a pair of conjoined twins back in 1988, were on hand.

Doctors said similar surgeries have a survival rate of around 74 percent.