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Twin 2-year-old sisters born joined at the head in Brazil died minutes after enduring a fifth grueling surgery to separate them, according to a report.
Little Heloísa and Helena Batista da Silva — who shared brain tissue and blood vessels —suffered insufficient blood flow to their organs along with a heart attack in Ribeirão Preto Saturday, the UK Sun reported.
The adorable sisters had just been separated at the end of a 15-hour operation, when their conditions took a turn, according to the outlet.
One of the twins quickly developed low blood pressure while the other suffered high blood pressure.
Helena was then reportedly struck by a heart attack at 11:12 pm, and Heloísa then had one 11:26 pm.
The medical team desperately tried to resuscitate them for 25 minutes — but the girls were pronounced dead shortly after, the outlet reported.
“They had many bouts of pneumonia, they had a tracheostomy, they needed a gastrostomy for feeding, and they had episodes that also weakened their bodies,” said Jayme Farina Júnior, a plastic surgeon on the team.
“But at the moment of the final separation, their bodies could not withstand this instability, and then they progressed to cardiac arrest.”
The twins’ first three surgeries involved doctors separating around 75% of their shared brain tissue and blood vessels.
During the fourth operation, doctors used tissue expanders to increase the amount of skin needed for closing their skulls in the final separation.
The sisters had successfully completed four surgeries over the past year before the final surgery, which required more than 50 staffers at the hospital.
Both girls reportedly suffered haemodynamic instability, also known as insufficient blood flow to vital organs, which can lead to organ failure and death.
Their father, Amarildo Batista da Silva, thanked the doctors and hospital staff despite the heartbreaking outcome.
The girls were buried on Aug. 16 in São José dos Campos near their family home.
English (US)