The Specialty Hospital has accomplished a new medical achievement in Jordan, which is the first successful of conjoined twins surgical separation, performed by a team of 25 of a multi-disciplinary team of consultants, doctors, surgeons, and technicians through a long, rare and complicated surgery.
Dr. Fawzi Al-Hammouri, head of the medical team, Consultant Pediatrician and General Manager of the Specialty Hospital; said during the press conference held on Sunday 3/10/2021, at the Specialty Hospital that the twins Ahmed and Mohammad were born in an Arab country in a rare medical phenomenon, as they shared the chest, abdomen area, the liver, rib cage, diaphragm and the heart membrane and the separation surgery was a crucial medical necessity.
Dr. Al-Hammouri clarified that the success of this surgery required logistical preparations to ensure and facilitate their arrival to Jordan through a complex medical evacuation process. A multi-disciplinary team was formed containing consultants, nurses and technicians incorporated with a detailed treatment plan to prepare for the surgery; laboratory tests and detailed radiographs were taken to assess their general health status, determining the shared organs between the twins, and developing a perspective of the best approach to separate these organs while saving the lives of both infants. The preparation phase lasted for five months, which included a series of medical procedures preceding the surgery to manage some medical problems which were diagnosed and to reach the ideal weight for the surgery by intensive nutrition.
Al-Hammouri also expressed that he was optimistic of the outcomes of the separation from the very beginning; due to the availability highly experienced healthcare providers, in addition to being a well-equipped hospital with the latest technologies.
The conjoined twins underwent their surgery on July 3, 2021, the medical team was divided into two groups after the separation process, and the surgery took around eight hours. Regarding the details of the surgical separation process, Al-Hammouri stated that the critical stages during the separation took place in the best possible way using modern technologies and advanced devices, whether during separation, or transplantation procedure. Which worked perfectly to avoid severe bleeding, and accelerated the process of wound healing and reconstruction of the skin, in addition to the high-precision cosmetic closure. The success of the surgery is also undoubtedly due to the persistent efforts made by the medical team.
He stated that the post-operative care of the twins in the intensive-care unit was provided by a multi-disciplinary team and lasted for three months. The boys Ahmad and Mohammad are now in a good health condition, and we wish them a long prosperous life, as the preparations are being held for their safe return back home along with their parents.
Fulfilling the dream of the twins and their parents for living a normal life was achievable through the financial adoption of the Specialty Hospital and the medical team to this humanitarian case by covering 50% of the total expenses in addition to the donation campaigns funded by an international NGO.
Al-Hammouri expressed his thanks and appreciation to the medical team and everyone who contributed to saving the lives of the two infants, expressing his gladness of this achievement that is a new record for the medical sector in the Kingdom in general represented by the Ministry of Health, Royal Medical Services, University Hospitals, and the private hospitals in particular. And this achievement is aligned with the directions of His Majesty King Abdullah II to maintain the excellence of medical services provided in the Kingdom and the good reputation Jordan has gained to remain the best medical tourism destination in the region.
It is worth mentioning that the Specialty Hospital has a long history of achievements and experience that extends for three decades in performing complex and rare surgeries at the level of Jordan and the region, which enabled it to succeed in performing this complex surgery and other major surgeries. It is the first accredited baby friendly hospital by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Healthcare Accreditation Council (HCAC). It is also accredited by several local and international accreditation bodies that qualifies the hospital to gain the trust of Jordanians, Arabs and foreign patients and resulting in becoming one of the important medical tourism destinations in the region.