DALLAS – Nine days after their separation surgery, the formerly conjoined Egyptian twin boys are continuing to progress, doctors say.
The condition of Mohamed Ibrahim, who this week sat upright for the first time, improved to serious at Children’s Medical Center Dallas.
His brother, Ahmed, was expected to be taken off his ventilator soon. He was listed in critical but stable condition.
Mohamed now breathes on his own and is the more active and alert twin, said Dr. James Thomas, Children’s chief of critical care services.
Both boys have shown what doctors called “dramatic improvement” since their surgery. Though their progress may slow down, Thomas said the important thing is they keep getting better.
“Because the boys are twins, people focus on their similarities and expect them to follow similar clinical courses,” said Thomas. “However, the two boys are different in many ways, including their responses to complex neurological surgery. Therefore, each is recovering in his own way.”
A marathon 34-hour surgery separated the 2-year-old toddlers from the tops of their heads.
Hospital officials said the twins are showing more motion in their arms and legs, and improved response to verbal cues from the family and medical team.
Thomas said he is cautiously optimistic that doctors will not have to place Mohamed back on a ventilator.
Both continue to run low-grade fevers, but don’t appear to have infections.
Despite reasons for optimism, Thomas said precautions must be taken.
“These boys are still at a critical stage in their recoveries and therefore are kept in an environment that minimizes stimulation,” Thomas said. “Their visitors are limited to the immediate family, their Egyptian nurses and the medical team only.”
The twins were born in Egypt on June 2, 2001.