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A pair of conjoined twins flown from Papua New Guinea to Sydney for emergency surgery have been separated, but only one has survived.
PNG conjoined twin dies after urgent separation surgery in Sydney
A pair of conjoined twins flown from Papua New Guinea to Sydney for emergency surgery have been separated, but only one has survived.
Tom and Sawong, born in remote Morobe province on October 9, were joined at the lower abdomen and shared a liver and parts of their digestive system. Tom, who also had a heart defect and only one kidney, died minutes after the seven-hour surgery at Sydney Children's Hospital on Sunday. His brother Sawong is in intensive care and is expected to remain there for at least a week.
The twins were urgently transferred from Port Moresby after Tom's condition deteriorated. Specialists from the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network had travelled to PNG earlier, recommending immediate separation and international transfer, saying Sawong had a good chance of survival but was struggling to support his brother.
PNG Prime Minister James Marape said his government agreed to cover medical costs, allowing the rapid evacuation. The operation could not be performed in PNG. Sawong remains in a specialist unit at Westmead.
