A conjoined twin who survived an extraordinary 19-hour operation to separate her from her sister has tragically died on Christmas Eve, months after the pioneering procedure.
A Heartbreaking End After a Long Fight
Aruna Rodrigues passed away at the State Hospital for Children and Adolescents in Goiania, Brazil, after developing severe complications. Her death comes seven months after the complex separation surgery she underwent with her twin, Kiraz, who died just days after the operation in May.
Lead surgeon Zacharias Calil confirmed the sad news on social media on December 24th. He wrote: 'Today, God decided to relieve Aruna's suffering and took her to be close to her sister Kiraz, an immense pain for all of us, especially for this family that fought with courage, faith and love for their Siamese twins.'
The Marathon Surgery and Subsequent Complications
The historic separation operation took place on May 10th and lasted for 19 hours, involving a large multidisciplinary medical team. Aruna and Kiraz were born conjoined at the thorax, abdomen, and pelvis and were 18 months old when they underwent the procedure.
After seven months of intensive care and showing signs of improvement, Aruna was transferred to a general hospital ward earlier this month. However, her father, Alessandro Rodrigues, explained that she then developed an infection, followed by a viral illness.
'The baby went through several procedures and several surgeries and she managed to overcome all of them, unfortunately, she did not overcome this last one, which was leaving the intensive care unit for the ward,' Mr Rodrigues said in a social media post.
A Final Battle Against Infection
Within two weeks of leaving ICU, Aruna developed severe respiratory complications and was rushed back to intensive care. Despite the best efforts of doctors, she was diagnosed with a viral infection and ultimately died from septic shock at 3.51 pm on December 24th.
In an official statement, the hospital confirmed it had provided full medical and psychological support to Aruna and her family throughout her arduous treatment. The hospital added that it continues to offer psychological assistance to the grieving family and has requested privacy for them during the mourning period.
The story of Aruna and Kiraz highlights the immense challenges and risks associated with separating conjoined twins, even after surviving the initial, highly complex surgery. The medical team's efforts, spanning many months, underscore the lengths to which paediatric surgical teams will go to save young lives.
