- Title: THAILAND: DOCTORS ATTEMPT TO SAVE SIAMESE TWINS JOINED AT THE HEART
- Date: 23rd December 2000
- Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (DECEMBER 21, 2000) (REUTERS) 1. SLV EXTERIOR OF BANGKOK CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL 0.09 2. SCU BABIES IN INTENSIVE CARE 0.15 3. CU SIAMESE TWINS; SCU DOCTOR ATTENDING TO TWINS; SCU CARIO MONITOR (7 SHOTS) 1.05 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DOCTOR SUNTHORN HORPAOPAN, PAEDIATRICIAN FROM QUEEN SIRIKIT NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH, SAYING "Twin A, named Kiti is supposed to be the first one. He has the holes in the ventricle, a big one, and besides that there's no blood supply to the lungs which means that there's no blood to the lungs and he wouldn't be able to get fresh oxygenation. Or something like that." 1.35 5. MV/SCU NURSES WITH BABIES (2 SHOTS) 1.44 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DOCTOR SUNTHORN HORPAOPAN, SAYING "In the past, when Siamese twins have been connected at the heart, none has survived." 1.53 7. SCU NURSE WITH SIAMESE TWINS; SCU DOCTOR WITH TWINS (2 SHOTS) 2.06 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 7th January 2001 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BANGKOK, THAILAND
- Country: Thailand
- Reuters ID: LVAC6VQX423ENZ2D46Z7GOOUMJI1
- Story Text: Doctors in Thailand are trying desperately to save
Siamese twins joined at the heart after they were delivered by
caesarian section.
Specialists are set to decide the fate of Thai Siamese
twins on Friday (December 22) but say the chances of both
babies surviving are very slim.
The boys, named Kiti and Piti, are connected at the
heart, and also partially joined at the liver and kidney. As
their condition worsens by the day, doctors face the terrible
dilemma of whether to operate.
"Twin A, named Kiti is supposed to be the first one. He
has the holes in the ventricle, a big one, and besides that
there's no blood to the lungs and he wouldn't be able to get
fresh oxygenation," said Dr Sunthorn Horpaopan from the Queen
Sirikit National Institute of Child Health.
If doctors operate on the twins to try to separate them,
one would almost certainly die.
But if they do nothing, the boys' chances of survival
are close to zero.
"In the past when Siamese twins have been connected at
the heart, none has survived," said Dr Sunthorn Horpaopan.
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