International team successfully separates conjoined twins in Haiti

June 15, 2015 5:54 PM

The procedure, performed by an international team, was the first such operation ever performed on Haitian soil.

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An 18-member team of physicians and nurses from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California have separated a pair of 6-month-old conjoined Haitian twins in the country.

The twins, Marian Dave-Nouche Bernard and Michelle Dave-Nouche Bernard, born as one on November 24, 2014, were separated after a 7-hour surgery at University Hospital of Mirebalais (HUM), in Mirebalais Haiti.

The area is described as a poor rural community in the country’s Central Plateau, a distance from the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

Haitian born surgical team leader, Henri Ford reported that the girls were doing fantastic and described the day of the procedure as exhilarating.

He also added "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.”

The conjoined girls who are actually triplets with a 3rd healthy sister were joined at the abdomen. They were however ready to head home 12 days after the surgery.

Their mother, 35-year old Manoucheca Ketan gave birth to all three of her daughters at HUM after carrying them for 36 weeks.

The complex surgical procedure got underway within 24 hours of the arrival of the 18-member surgical team of surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles team was joined by 12 medical staff from Centres GHESKIO, Hospital Bernard Mevs-Project Medishare and Hopital Universitaire de Mirebalais (HUM), led by Dr. Maclee Jean-Louis, director of Surgery at HUM.

The group comprised what Ford described as an international medical “Dream Team.”

The family received free treatment from HUM, which is supported by the Haitian Ministry of Health and Partners in Health, an international health organization.

While Keck Medicine and CHLA covered the travel expenses of the medical team and donated supplies to ensure the success of the operation.