Kottayam: Conjoined twins born with a single heart and liver died within 18 hours at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital. The babies, who were born three weeks ahead of term, died of a heart condition, doctors said.
The babies shared a diseased heart and weighed only 3.5 kilo together. Doctors who treated the mother at a hospital at Nedumkandam in Idukki district could not diagnose the condition at an early stage. The early scans detected the presence of twins but failed to suggest they were conjoined.
The mother was told only a few days ago that the twins were conjoined. She was referred to the medical college.
The babies were born at 2 pm on Thursday. Their chest and abdomen were stuck together and internal organs tangled among themselves. They had separate heads, hands and legs.
The babies were taken out through a C-section. This was the mother’s third delivery.
Another set of Siamese twins born at the medical college six months ago died after four days.
