Odisha: One of separated conjoined twins returns home
What's the story
Around four years after conjoined twin brothers left their home district of Kandhamal in 2017 to get a new life, only one of them, Jaga, returned on Monday. Jaga and his twin Kalia were joined at the head from their birth in 2015. They were separated in AIIMS Delhi in 2017 but Kalia died in November 2020 at Cuttack's SCB Medical College and Hospital.
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Jaga left after being declared fit to travel
"After a team of doctors declared him fit to travel, Jaga and his parents left the Cuttack facility in the afternoon and reached Kandhamal district headquarters hospital at Phulbani near their village at night," an official said at Phulbani. Two doctors accompanied them during the journey.
Surgery
Jaga is likely to undergo a skull reconstruction surgery
"The patient will henceforth be under the treatment of the district hospital and in case of any emergency, facilities of the SCB Hospital facilities will always be made available to him," the Cuttack referral hospital's emergency officer Dr. BN Moharana said. "Jaga is likely to go under the scalpel again for a skull reconstruction surgery," he said.
Treatment
Special team of doctors will watch Jaga's health
Sources said that special arrangements have been made for Jaga's treatment at the district hospital, where a team of doctors comprising surgeons and pediatricians will keep a watch on the health condition of the boy. The six-year-old was shifted to the Phulbani hospital following an application from his parents who had left their Milipada village under Phiringia block in July 2017.
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The twins were suffering from a rare craniopagus disorder
Born to Bhuyan Kandar and Puspanjali Kandar, the twins were suffering from a rare craniopagus disorder. They were admitted to AIIMS on July 13, 2017, with the help of the Odisha Government.
Separation
A team of 30 specialist doctors performed the final surgery
The final separation of the duo was performed by a team of around 30 specialists from the Institute's neurosurgery, neuro-anaesthesia, and plastic surgery departments on October 25. After staying in the New Delhi hospital for over two years, the twins were shifted to the Cuttack facility on October 27, 2017.
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Kalia died of pneumonia and septicemia
Following the surgery, Jaga's condition improved rapidly but Kalia was found to be suffering from certain deficiencies and he died of pneumonia and septicemia on November 25 last year.
Surgery
Surgery featured in the Limca Book of Records
"The condition, which the twins suffered from, afflicts one in 30 lakh children, of which 50 percent die either at birth or within 24 hours," doctors who treated them said. The successful surgery that separated the heads of the conjoined twins was featured in the 2020 edition of the Limca Book of Records as the first such operation in the country.