Conjoined Twins Undergo Possible 2-Phase Surgery

LOMA LINDA —  The 2-day-old conjoined Garcia twins underwent surgery Thursday, first to remove a blockage of Gabrielle’s esophagus and, if all went well, to release a constriction in Micheala’s aorta.

The surgery was expected to extend into the evening, and the results would not be released until today, said a spokeswoman for the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.

The girls were born Tuesday, joined side-by-side above the waist and sharing just two legs and several critical organs--but not heart or lungs.

Thursday’s surgical procedure for Gabrielle was considered the more urgent because the blockage would cause stomach acid to be drawn into her lungs through her windpipe. That situation would result in aspiration pneumonia, which could be fatal, spokeswoman Anita Rockwell-Hayden said.

Until the problem was fixed, the twins would have to be fed intravenously, she said.

Doctors on Wednesday also discovered the constriction of Micheala’s aorta, which could cause high blood pressure. Although not immediately life-threatening, it could eventually lead to heart failure, Rockwell-Hayden said.

Doctors are still pondering if and when the girls can be surgically separated, she said.