{"id":258,"date":"2015-06-09T11:54:20","date_gmt":"2015-06-09T18:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/"},"modified":"2023-11-19T12:04:23","modified_gmt":"2023-11-19T20:04:23","slug":"conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/","title":{"rendered":"Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"text-container\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--eyebrow\">\n\n    \n  <span>Press Release<\/span>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n    \n          <div class=\"meta\">\n                  <span class=\"author\">Lorenzo Benet, CHLA<\/span>\n        \n                  <span class=\"date\">June 09, 2015<\/span>\n              <\/div>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--embed\">\n\n    \n  <div class=\"heateor_sss_sharing_container heateor_sss_horizontal_sharing\" data-heateor-ss-offset=\"0\" data-heateor-sss-href='https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/'><div class=\"heateor_sss_sharing_ul\"><a aria-label=\"Facebook\" class=\"heateor_sss_facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fconjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons%2F\" title=\"Facebook\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg\" style=\"background-color:#0765FE;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M28 16c0-6.627-5.373-12-12-12S4 9.373 4 16c0 5.628 3.875 10.35 9.101 11.647v-7.98h-2.474V16H13.1v-1.58c0-4.085 1.849-5.978 5.859-5.978.76 0 2.072.15 2.608.298v3.325c-.283-.03-.775-.045-1.386-.045-1.967 0-2.728.745-2.728 2.683V16h3.92l-.673 3.667h-3.247v8.245C23.395 27.195 28 22.135 28 16Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"X\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_x\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Conjoined%20twins%20in%20Haiti%20separated%20by%20team%20of%20Keck%20and%20CHLA%20surgeons&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fconjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons%2F\" title=\"X\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_x\" style=\"background-color:#2a2a2a;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M21.751 7h3.067l-6.7 7.658L26 25.078h-6.172l-4.833-6.32-5.531 6.32h-3.07l7.167-8.19L6 7h6.328l4.37 5.777L21.75 7Zm-1.076 16.242h1.7L11.404 8.74H9.58l11.094 14.503Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"Linkedin\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fconjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons%2F\" title=\"Linkedin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_linkedin\" style=\"background-color:#0077b5;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path d=\"M6.227 12.61h4.19v13.48h-4.19V12.61zm2.095-6.7a2.43 2.43 0 0 1 0 4.86c-1.344 0-2.428-1.09-2.428-2.43s1.084-2.43 2.428-2.43m4.72 6.7h4.02v1.84h.058c.56-1.058 1.927-2.176 3.965-2.176 4.238 0 5.02 2.792 5.02 6.42v7.395h-4.183v-6.56c0-1.564-.03-3.574-2.178-3.574-2.18 0-2.514 1.7-2.514 3.46v6.668h-4.187V12.61z\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"Whatsapp\" class=\"heateor_sss_whatsapp\" href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=Conjoined%20twins%20in%20Haiti%20separated%20by%20team%20of%20Keck%20and%20CHLA%20surgeons%20https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fconjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons%2F\" title=\"Whatsapp\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg\" style=\"background-color:#55eb4c;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"-6 -5 40 40\"><path class=\"heateor_sss_svg_stroke heateor_sss_no_fill\" stroke=\"#fff\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\" d=\"M 11.579798566743314 24.396926207859085 A 10 10 0 1 0 6.808479557110079 20.73576436351046\"><\/path><path d=\"M 7 19 l -1 6 l 6 -1\" class=\"heateor_sss_no_fill heateor_sss_svg_stroke\" stroke=\"#fff\" stroke-width=\"2\" fill=\"none\"><\/path><path d=\"M 10 10 q -1 8 8 11 c 5 -1 0 -6 -1 -3 q -4 -3 -5 -5 c 4 -2 -1 -5 -1 -4\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"Telegram\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_telegram\" href=\"https:\/\/telegram.me\/share\/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fconjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons%2F&#038;text=Conjoined%20twins%20in%20Haiti%20separated%20by%20team%20of%20Keck%20and%20CHLA%20surgeons\" title=\"Telegram\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_telegram\" style=\"background-color:#3da5f1;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M25.515 6.896L6.027 14.41c-1.33.534-1.322 1.276-.243 1.606l5 1.56 1.72 5.66c.226.625.115.873.77.873.506 0 .73-.235 1.012-.51l2.43-2.363 5.056 3.734c.93.514 1.602.25 1.834-.863l3.32-15.638c.338-1.363-.52-1.98-1.41-1.577z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"PrintFriendly\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_printfriendly\" href=\"https:\/\/www.printfriendly.com\/print?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkeck.usc.edu%2Fnews%2Fconjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons%2F&#038;partner=a2a\" title=\"PrintFriendly\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_printfriendly\" style=\"background-color:#61d1d5;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\"><g stroke=\"#fff\" stroke-width=\"1.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-miterlimit=\"10\"><path fill=\"none\" d=\"M22.562 19.588v4.373H9.438v-4.37h13.124zm-13.124 1.53H6.375c-.483 0-.875-.313-.875-.7v-7.35c0-.387.392-.7.875-.7h19.25c.482 0 .875.313.875.7v7.35c0 .387-.393.7-.876.7h-3.062\"><\/path><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M22.562 12.32V8.04H9.436v4.28\"><\/path><\/g><\/svg><\/span><\/a><a aria-label=\"Copy Link\" class=\"heateor_sss_button_copy_link\" title=\"Copy Link\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault()\" style=\"font-size:32px!important;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle\"><span class=\"heateor_sss_svg heateor_sss_s__default heateor_sss_s_copy_link\" style=\"background-color:#ffc112;width:32px;height:32px;display:inline-block;opacity:1;float:left;font-size:32px;box-shadow:none;display:inline-block;font-size:16px;padding:0 4px;vertical-align:middle;background-repeat:repeat;overflow:hidden;padding:0;cursor:pointer;box-sizing:content-box\"><svg style=\"display:block;\" focusable=\"false\" aria-hidden=\"true\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" viewBox=\"-4 -4 40 40\"><path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M24.412 21.177c0-.36-.126-.665-.377-.917l-2.804-2.804a1.235 1.235 0 0 0-.913-.378c-.377 0-.7.144-.97.43.026.028.11.11.255.25.144.14.24.236.29.29s.117.14.2.256c.087.117.146.232.177.344.03.112.046.236.046.37 0 .36-.126.666-.377.918a1.25 1.25 0 0 1-.918.377 1.4 1.4 0 0 1-.373-.047 1.062 1.062 0 0 1-.345-.175 2.268 2.268 0 0 1-.256-.2 6.815 6.815 0 0 1-.29-.29c-.14-.142-.223-.23-.25-.254-.297.28-.445.607-.445.984 0 .36.126.664.377.916l2.778 2.79c.243.243.548.364.917.364.36 0 .665-.118.917-.35l1.982-1.97c.252-.25.378-.55.378-.9zm-9.477-9.504c0-.36-.126-.665-.377-.917l-2.777-2.79a1.235 1.235 0 0 0-.913-.378c-.35 0-.656.12-.917.364L7.967 9.92c-.254.252-.38.553-.38.903 0 .36.126.665.38.917l2.802 2.804c.242.243.547.364.916.364.377 0 .7-.14.97-.418-.026-.027-.11-.11-.255-.25s-.24-.235-.29-.29a2.675 2.675 0 0 1-.2-.255 1.052 1.052 0 0 1-.176-.344 1.396 1.396 0 0 1-.047-.37c0-.36.126-.662.377-.914.252-.252.557-.377.917-.377.136 0 .26.015.37.046.114.03.23.09.346.175.117.085.202.153.256.2.054.05.15.148.29.29.14.146.222.23.25.258.294-.278.442-.606.442-.983zM27 21.177c0 1.078-.382 1.99-1.146 2.736l-1.982 1.968c-.745.75-1.658 1.12-2.736 1.12-1.087 0-2.004-.38-2.75-1.143l-2.777-2.79c-.75-.747-1.12-1.66-1.12-2.737 0-1.106.392-2.046 1.183-2.818l-1.186-1.185c-.774.79-1.708 1.186-2.805 1.186-1.078 0-1.995-.376-2.75-1.13l-2.803-2.81C5.377 12.82 5 11.903 5 10.826c0-1.08.382-1.993 1.146-2.738L8.128 6.12C8.873 5.372 9.785 5 10.864 5c1.087 0 2.004.382 2.75 1.146l2.777 2.79c.75.747 1.12 1.66 1.12 2.737 0 1.105-.392 2.045-1.183 2.817l1.186 1.186c.774-.79 1.708-1.186 2.805-1.186 1.078 0 1.995.377 2.75 1.132l2.804 2.804c.754.755 1.13 1.672 1.13 2.75z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"heateorSssClear\"><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        \n  <\/div>\n\n  \n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\r\n\r\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text white\"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n        \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>An 18-member team of physicians and nurses from Keck Medicine of USC and Children&#8217;s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) recently led an international collaboration to separate a pair of six-month-old conjoined twins in Haiti, the first such operation ever performed in that country.<br \/>\nThe twins, Marian Dave-Nouche Bernard and Michelle Dave-Nouche Bernard, were born as one on Nov. 24, 2014. They were separated May 22 of this year during a seven-hour surgery at University Hospital of Mirebalais, a poor rural community about 36 miles northeast of Haiti\u2019s capital city, Port-au-Prince.<br \/>\n\u201cThe girls are doing fantastic,\u201d said Haitian-born surgical team leader Henri Ford, MD, MHA, the surgeon in chief at CHLA, who is also vice dean for medical education and a professor and vice chair for clinical affairs at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. \u201cIt was an extremely exhilarating day; not only did our preparations pay off and the surgery succeed in spectacular fashion, but this was also a time to put politics aside and celebrate our national pride.\u201d<br \/>\nMarian and Michelle \u2014 so-called omphalopagus twins who were connected at the abdomen \u2014 are actually triplets (sister Tamar was born separately and is healthy).<br \/>\nThe conjoined sisters had faced each other since birth, but they recuperated in separate beds in the hospital\u2019s neonatal intensive care unit. They were discharged 12 days after surgery.<br \/>\n\u201cWe anticipate Marian and Michelle will recover fully and go on to lead healthy and happy lives,\u201d Ford said.<br \/>\nConjoined twins occur in roughly 1 in 200,000 births, and omphalopagus twins represent about 30 percent of all conjoined twin births. As triplets, these girls are considered even rarer, occurring about once in 1 million births. Fused together by the breastbone (or xiphoid bone) in the lower portion of the sternum, Marian and Michelle also had attached livers that were separated during the procedure.<br \/>\nTheir mother, Manoucheca Ketan, 35, gave birth to all three of her daughters after carrying them for 36 weeks. The twins shared a crib until 10 a.m. on May 22, when Ketan and her husband, David Bernard, 31, watched as their infant daughters were wheeled into surgery as one. Ten hours later, after the surgery, the parents wept when they next saw the twins \u2014 resting in separate cribs.<br \/>\n\u201cIt was an extraordinary moment,\u201d Ketan said, describing her reaction when she first saw her separated daughters. \u201cWhen I first met Dr. Ford, he told me he was confident we could separate my children, but I didn\u2019t know how it would turn out when the day started. Now I am feeling a lot of joy and want to recognize and thank the hospital for everything.\u201d<br \/>\nThe complex surgical procedure got underway within 24 hours of the arrival of the 18-member surgical team of surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses. The Keck\/CHLA team was joined by 12 medical staff from Centres GHESKIO, Hospital Bernard Mevs\u2013Project Medishare and the hospital in Mirebalais, which was led by Maclee Jean-Louis, MD, director of surgery. Ford described the group as an international medical &#8220;Dream Team.&#8221;<br \/>\nThe family received free treatment supported by the Haitian Ministry of Health and Partners in Health, an international health organization. Keck Medicine of USC and CHLA covered the travel expenses of the medical team and donated supplies to ensure the success of the operation.<br \/>\nAnticipating a six- to eight-hour procedure, doctors made the first incision along the abdominal wall that connected Marian and Michelle at 1:14 p.m. At 2:50 p.m., the girls were surgically separated to a burst of applause from the team. Then Marian was moved to an adjacent table.<br \/>\nWearing red caps, Marian\u2019s team of six doctors and nurses hovered over her to close her incision, while Michelle\u2019s team worked in yellow caps \u2014 coincidentally reflecting the colors of USC.<br \/>\n\u201cThe mom gave them red and yellow bands months ago to identify them,\u201d Ford explained. \u201cThey were destined to be separated by Trojan surgeons.\u201d<br \/>\nMichelle was wheeled out of the surgery suite at 4:45 p.m., followed by Marian at 4:58 p.m.<br \/>\n\u201cThis surgery took less time than previous conjoined twin separations we have performed at CHLA, since there was no pelvic attachment,\u201d explained James Stein, who was lead surgeon during the separation. Stein is associate chief of surgery at Children\u2019s Hospital and an associate professor of surgery at the Keck School of Medicine. He has now separated six pairs of conjoined twins.<br \/>\n\u201cThere are surgeries that require the expanded expertise of a [major hospital], but the twins\u2019 anatomy and our team\u2019s expertise allowed us to undertake the surgery in Haiti, and compile the appropriate resources to do the surgery there safely,\u201d Stein said.<br \/>\nBy doing the operation in Haiti, the children benefited emotionally from the proximity of their parents, Ford said, and the surgery could be done more cost-effectively than in Los Angeles.<br \/>\nDuring the operation, the girls underwent 11 separate procedures, with only a few minor complications. Early on, surgeons and anesthesiologists encountered a \u201ccross circulation\u201d \u2014 when fluids, blood and medication pass through one twin\u2019s liver to the other without benefiting the first.<br \/>\nMichelle\u2019s heart rate elevated, but the surgeons \u2014 Stein, Ford and Aaron Jensen, MD, along with anesthesiologists Duc Nguyen, MD, associate professor of clinical anesthesiology at the Keck School of Medicine, and Joanna E. Green, MD, assistant professor of clinical anesthesiology at the Keck School of Medicine\u2014remedied the situation by expeditiously separating the livers and individually hydrating the girls intravenously.<br \/>\nDoctors also removed an ovarian cyst in Michelle and surgically inserted patch material in both girls to reconstruct their abdominal walls after separation. They also formed new belly buttons for the twins, whose midline vertical scars should nearly disappear over time, Stein said.<br \/>\nOne moment during the operation seemed to sum up the enormity of the procedure for Ford.<br \/>\n\u201cTheir lower chests were connected, so we had to remove a piece of the sternum, the breastbone, and then you could see their lungs and their hearts beating,\u201d he recalled.<br \/>\nOnce the girls were moved to intensive care, a team of intensivists led by Peggy Han, MD, of Weill-Cornell Medical College and neonatal intensive care unit nurses worked with local staff to oversee the twins\u2019 recovery. Volunteers from two other U.S. hospitals later joined the team and help oversee care. Forty-eight hours after surgery, the girls were breathing independently, and after 72 hours, they were being fed with a combination of breast milk and formula, Ford said.<br \/>\nFord started recruiting his team in September after initial conversation with doctors in Haiti. Ford and team members made almost monthly trips to Haiti between the November births and the May 22 surgery, checking up on the health of the girls and making sure that the proper human and material resources or equipment were available to safely do the surgery. By March, the team was set and the girls, strong and healthy, were scheduled for the procedure.<br \/>\nHours after the surgery, the Haitian media reported on the milestone operation and, three days postoperatively, the newly famous twins were paid a visit by Haitian First Lady Sophia Martelly and Minister of Health Florence Guillaume.<br \/>\nIn the coming weeks, the girls will recover from their incisions and undergo physical therapy to help strengthen neck muscles weakened from facing in a single direction for such a long time.<br \/>\n\u201cThe girls look great; we don\u2019t expect any more surgeries,\u201d Stein said. \u201cThis was all about planning and organization. The amazing part for all of us is conducting seven hours of surgery, and then seeing two kids side-by-side, when they used to be just one. It\u2019s just awe-inspiring.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cI liken the entire international team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, intensivists, respiratory therapists and nurses to a symphony orchestra,\u201d said Ford.<br \/>\nThe Keck\/CHLA team consisted of surgeons Ford, Stein, Hahn and plastic surgeon Andre Panossian, MD; anesthesiologists Green and Nguyen; physician fellows Jamie M. Golden, MD, Aaron Jensen, MD, Ahbishek Karnwal, MD, Joanna Lim, MD, and Christa Grant, MD; registered nurses Caitlin Fitzgibbons, BSN, Jodi Brown, BSN, Jennifer DeVera, BSN, Melinda Dizon, BSN, Maxine Ogbaa, BSN, and Nhu Tran, BSN; and respiratory therapist Dana Baxter, RRT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[56,34,57],"class_list":["post-258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release","tag-featured","tag-news","tag-recent"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KECKschoolUSC\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-09T18:54:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-19T20:04:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/henri_ford_twins_chla.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"224\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"167\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lorenzo Benet, CHLA\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@KeckSchool_USC\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@KeckSchool_USC\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lorenzo Benet, CHLA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e60bb9ec50059d97d4c64e9f5f8641f6\"},\"headline\":\"Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-09T18:54:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-19T20:04:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/\"},\"wordCount\":12,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/henri_ford_twins_chla.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Featured\",\"News\",\"Recent\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Press Release\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/\",\"name\":\"Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/henri_ford_twins_chla.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-09T18:54:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-19T20:04:23+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/henri_ford_twins_chla.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/henri_ford_twins_chla.jpg\",\"width\":224,\"height\":167,\"caption\":\"henri_ford_twins_chla\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Newsroom\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Keck School of Medicine of USC\",\"alternateName\":\"Keck School of Medicine\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/keck-school-of-medicine-logo-696-square.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/keck-school-of-medicine-logo-696-square.jpg\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"Keck School of Medicine of USC\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KECKschoolUSC\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/KeckSchool_USC\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/keckschoolusc\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/KeckSchoolUSC\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpL1E1W5ZTfkc5iihwLSFEA\",\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@keckschoolusc\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e60bb9ec50059d97d4c64e9f5f8641f6\",\"name\":\"Lorenzo Benet, CHLA\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1bb958455dee561bdb5cfbaf53375ccf11b1cc97279044795b089b8ea31778d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1bb958455dee561bdb5cfbaf53375ccf11b1cc97279044795b089b8ea31778d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lorenzo Benet, CHLA\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/author\/lorenzo_benet_chla\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons","og_url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/","og_site_name":"Newsroom","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KECKschoolUSC\/","article_published_time":"2015-06-09T18:54:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-19T20:04:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":224,"height":167,"url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/henri_ford_twins_chla.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lorenzo Benet, CHLA","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@KeckSchool_USC","twitter_site":"@KeckSchool_USC","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/"},"author":{"name":"Lorenzo Benet, CHLA","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e60bb9ec50059d97d4c64e9f5f8641f6"},"headline":"Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons","datePublished":"2015-06-09T18:54:20+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-19T20:04:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/"},"wordCount":12,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/henri_ford_twins_chla.jpg","keywords":["Featured","News","Recent"],"articleSection":["Press Release"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/","url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/","name":"Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/henri_ford_twins_chla.jpg","datePublished":"2015-06-09T18:54:20+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-19T20:04:23+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/henri_ford_twins_chla.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/henri_ford_twins_chla.jpg","width":224,"height":167,"caption":"henri_ford_twins_chla"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/conjoined-twins-in-haiti-separated-by-team-of-keck-and-chla-surgeons\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Conjoined twins in Haiti separated by team of Keck and CHLA surgeons"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/","name":"Newsroom","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#organization","name":"Keck School of Medicine of USC","alternateName":"Keck School of Medicine","url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/keck-school-of-medicine-logo-696-square.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/keck-school-of-medicine-logo-696-square.jpg","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"Keck School of Medicine of USC"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KECKschoolUSC\/","https:\/\/x.com\/KeckSchool_USC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/keckschoolusc\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/KeckSchoolUSC\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpL1E1W5ZTfkc5iihwLSFEA","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@keckschoolusc"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e60bb9ec50059d97d4c64e9f5f8641f6","name":"Lorenzo Benet, CHLA","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1bb958455dee561bdb5cfbaf53375ccf11b1cc97279044795b089b8ea31778d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1bb958455dee561bdb5cfbaf53375ccf11b1cc97279044795b089b8ea31778d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lorenzo Benet, CHLA"},"url":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/author\/lorenzo_benet_chla\/"}]}},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Lorenzo Benet, CHLA","author_link":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/author\/lorenzo_benet_chla\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2023\/11\/henri_ford_twins_chla.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/category\/press-release\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Press Release<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Press Release<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/category\/press-release\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Featured<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/category\/press-release\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">News<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/category\/press-release\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Recent<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Featured<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">News<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Recent<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 11 years ago","modified":"Updated 2 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on June 9, 2015","modified":"Updated on November 19, 2023"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on June 9, 2015 11:54 am","modified":"Updated on November 19, 2023 12:04 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/137"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}