Conjoined twins from Tacloban die

The conjoined twins from Tacloban City who were brought to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) last week died yesterday morning because of heart failure.

Dr. Esther Saguil, PGH pediatric surgeon, confirmed to The STAR that the dicephalus twins, Mary Grace and Mary Divine Asis, died at 10:20 a.m., with their family by their bedside.

Their remains will be brought to Tacloban for burial, she said.

"On the part of the PGH, the family was given full support in the last hours of the twins," Dr. Michael Tee, PGH spokesman, said in a phone interview.

The state-owned hospital is coordinating with some agencies that could assist the family in bringing the remains to Tacloban, Tee said.

Tee said the twins were supposed to be flown back to Tacloban tomorrow or Wednesday to be with their mother.

He said the hospital’s conjoined twin task force had relayed to the family their prognosis of the twins’ condition.

According to reports, the twins had two separate and functioning heads, two spinal columns, two airways, two pairs of lungs and separate kidneys, but shared only one heart. A large liver also did not appear to be separated.

The twins’ common anus was closed, but with the presence of a fistula, a small opening where waste could come out, they did not suffer from intestinal obstruction.

It was earlier reported that the twins’ separation was unlikely as they shared only one heart.

Reports said the Asis’ was only the second case of dicephalus twins seen by PGH doctors. The first case died immediately after birth.