After surgery 16 days ago, one of the separated conjoined twins Marwa is breathing normally without a respirator, according to Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabe'ah, Head of the Multidisciplinary Team who operated on the twins. Dr. Al-Rabe'ah said Marwa is in stable condition at the National Guard King Abdul Aziz Medical City in Riyadh (KAMC-Riaydh). He said Marwa opened her eyes and is interacting with her mother and hospital staff. She is expected to start feeding within the next week. Marwa suffers from congenital heart disease which her sister, Safa does not. Safa recovered much more quickly from the 10 hour July 12 surgery, which separated the twins connected at the lower chest and abdomen. The girls shared a liver and a bowl. Before the operation doctors met several times to discuss the risks involved with operating on the twins. There was a 40 percent risk of failure because of Marwa's heart disease. The twins came from Morocco on April 4 on a special Saudi Medical evacuation flight following the instructions of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. Dr. Al-Rabe'ah and his team have performed 18 successful operations on conjoined twins from several countries. KAMC-Riyadh is internationally known for such intricate surgery. __
