Conjoined twin dies on Christmas Eve months after surviving separation surgical procedure
Aruna Rodrigues died on Christmas Eve after being hospitalised for seven months following the complex procedure in Brazil in May to separate her from her twin sister Kiraz, who died days after surgery
A conjoined twin has tragically passed away after initially surviving a complex operation to separate her from her sister.
Aruna Rodrigues died on Christmas Eve following her lengthy hospitalisation after the intricate procedure performed in Goiania, in the Brazilian state of Goias, in May to divide her from her sibling. Medical professionals confirmed Aruna’s death on December 24 after she developed serious complications whilst receiving treatment at the State Hospital for Children and Adolescents (Hecad) in Goiania.
Her sister Kiraz had already passed away just days following the separation surgery in May. The separation procedure lasted 19 hours and required a substantial multidisciplinary medical team, hospital officials confirmed.
Aruna and Kiraz were 18 months old at the time of the surgery and had been born joined at the thorax, abdomen and pelvis. Lead surgeon Zacharias Calil announced Aruna’s death in a post shared on social media on the evening of December 24, saying it was with “immense pain for all of us”.
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.”, reports the Mirror.
Aruna’s father, Alessandro Rodrigues, also posted on social media where he said his daughter had been moved from intensive care to a hospital ward earlier this month before developing an infection, followed by a viral illness. He stated: “Our 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.”
Hospital officials revealed that Aruna had shown signs of improvement after seven months of daily monitoring and was moved to the ward on December 10. They said she later developed severe respiratory complications and was transferred back to intensive care.
Doctors diagnosed a viral infection and confirmed she died from septic shock at 3:51pm on December 24, despite all medical efforts. In a statement, the hospital said it had provided full medical and psychological support to Aruna and her family throughout her treatment.
The hospital added that it continues to provide psychological assistance to the family and asked for privacy during the mourning period.
