Mutukufu Njuki,it sad that those two girls by a twist of fate chose a day
they could depart from this World.They indeed wanted to live apart from each other and have only achieved that in death.May their souls rest in peace.
What was disturbing to me however was the heightened chances of surviving the operation that the Surgeons put to the girls.Any one in their state if given such probability would have taken the risks.From what I have come to know of the German Surgeons,it is becoming increasingly evident that what the daring Surgeons in Deutschland have turned down should never be touched by others who may be on a course to gaining some fame that in this instance has unfortunately backfired.
Surgeons,of all the health professionals should exercise extra caution in circumstances where others with more technological and even first hand experiences have chosen to chose the St.Elsewhere strategy,for that one blot in this Surgeon's audit will take long to go.Forget the enormous risks that were known to be associated with this procedure at that age.
The statement :"What the Angels have Rejected,the Devil Dare Not Touch"should have been the guiding principle and left the girls to live as they were.
The Hippocratic Oath of not cutting for stone where the disease is already manisfest,apparently was buried with Hippocrates.
That is the the World of Globalisation and the global village.
Thanks.
Kipenji.
===============================================================
Njoki Paul <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Njoki Paul <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Iranian twins die in surgery
There were unexpected delays during the first phase of the surgery
Both the conjoined Iranian twins have died during a marathon operation to
separate them.
Ladan Bijani was the first to succumb, shortly after surgeons separated her
head from that of her sister.
Laleh died an hour and a half later, hospital officials have confirmed.
In a statement they said: "Raffles Hospital regrets to announce that the Bijani
twins, Ladan and Laleh, have both passed away during surgery to separate them."
Earlier, hospital spokesman Dr Prem Kumar explained that the 29 year-old
sisters had both lost a lot of blood during the operation and were in a
critical state.
A team of 28 doctors and 100 medical assistants were involved in the surgery to
separate the twins.
Look at an illustration of the operation
As the operation progressed, it became clear the brains had fused together
after 29 years sharing the same skull cavity, and the separation would not be
as straightforward as anticipated.
Surgeons spent some 21 hours cutting the twins' brains apart "literally
millimetre by millimetre" - something that they had not expected to have to do.
The final moment of separation came after 53 hours of the complex operation.
The procedure was further complicated because the blood circulation between the
twins was unstable.
Dr Loo Choon Yong, chairman of Raffles Hospital, said that at one stage the
specialists had stopped to consult the twins' next of kin.
Choice
He said there was the choice of taking the twins into intensive care and off
anaesthetic while the next stage was planned. This would have carried a risk of
infection or even losing the twins in intensive care.
The alternative option was to continue with the final stages of separation
which would also be risky.
If God wants us to live the rest of our lives as two separate independent
individuals, we will
Ladan Bijani
Message from Bijanis
Surgeons' sorrow
"The team wanted to know once again what were the wishes of Ladan and Laleh,"
said Dr Loo.
"We were told that they wanted to be separated under all circumstances."
Half an hour after surgeons completed the separation, Ladan's circulation began
to fail and, despite the efforts of the team, she died.
Surgery continued on Laleh but her circulation also started to fail and she
died 90 minutes later.
Dr Loo said: "When we undertook this challenge we knew the risks were great and
one of scenarios was that we might lose both of them.
"Ladan and Laleh knew that it too."
The twins were warned that they had only a 50-50 chance of survival, but said
they were willing to risk death for the chance to lead separate lives.
Iranians living in Singapore had gathered at Raffles Hospital to pray for the
Bijani sisters during the marathon surgery.
After the news of Ladan's death, a group of weeping Iranian women were escorted
away by friends.
"I was shocked. I still don't believe it. Ladan was very friendly, she always
liked to joke," said Hossein Afkami, 42.
Quality of life
The operation marked the first time surgeons had tried to separate adult
craniopagus twins - siblings born joined at the head - since the operation was
first successfully performed in 1952.
German doctors had turned away the Bijanis in 1996, deeming the operation to be
too risky.
The 29-year-old sisters were well-known in their home country for their courage
and academic success - both graduated after studying law.
Iranian government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said that the nation was
in "deep sorrow" following their deaths.
"We were praying for them to be successfully separated, since that was their
ultimate wish, " he told French news agency AFP.
Iranian television went live to Singapore to bring the nation the sad news.
The BBC's Frances Harrison, in Tehran, said many people said they would be in
mourning because the twins were like family figures after their lives had been
charted by the Iranian media.
\\\\\\\"Always be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate
version of someone else.\\\\\\\\\\\\\"
Njoki Paul
University of Pretoria
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