{"id":9345,"date":"2021-09-29T17:45:27","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T09:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=9345"},"modified":"2021-09-29T18:02:30","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T10:02:30","slug":"conjoined-twins-surgery-1988","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/conjoined-twins-surgery-1988\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnam’s Surgical Miracle: Conjoined Twins’ Separation In 1988 Amid Electricity & Equipment Shortages"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vietnam\u2019s first conjoined twins\u2019 separation surgery in 1988<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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On 15th July 2020, 1-year-old Vietnamese conjoined twins Tr\u00fac Nhi and Di\u1ec7u Nhi were separated in a highly complicated surgery that involved 100 physicians. The successful surgery gained tremendous attention from the public.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But this was just one of several difficult and unusual surgeries performed in Vietnam’s modern history.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, Vietnam’s first surgery to<\/span> separate a conjoined set of twins<\/b> took place in 1988, amid a severe lack of medical resources. This unusual operation has gone down in Vietnam\u2019s medical history as a surgical miracle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s how it inspired our nation torn by war and economic sanctions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Conjoined twins were extremely rare in the world at that time<\/b><\/h3>\n
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\"conjoined
\n1-year-old Nguy\u1ec5n Vi\u1ec7t and Nguy\u1ec5n \u0110\u1ee9c
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>VnExpress<\/span><\/a><\/em>
\n<\/b>
\nIn 1988, when Vietnam was still under the US embargo and with trade barriers in place, modern amenities and instruments required for medical care in hospitals were mostly out of reach.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Even so, Vietnam had exceptional and devoted medical talents who fought against the odds to successfully separate the conjoined twins Nguy\u1ec5n Vi\u1ec7t and Nguy\u1ec5n \u0110\u1ee9c.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Born on 25th July 1981 in Kon Tum, T\u00e2y Nguy\u00ean, Vi\u1ec7t and \u0110\u1ee9c were born connected at their lower bodies and with only three legs between them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When they reached the age of 4, Vi\u1ec7t was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and went into a coma. The twins were sent to Japan with the help of the Japanese Red Cross for treatment but to no avail.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"conjoined
\n<\/span>Image credit: VnExpress<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Knowing that Vi\u1ec7t could die at any time and \u0110\u1ee9c could also die because of complications, T\u1eeb D\u0169 Hospital\u2019s management decided to separate them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That was a historic decision, because a surgery to separate conjoined twins in which one had a brain condition had never happened before.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"conjoined
\nImage credit: <\/em>Ph\u1ee5 N\u1eef Online<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere were only six sets of conjoined twins in the world back then. But none of those babies had a cerebral palsy such as the case of Vi\u1ec7t and \u0110\u1ee9c,\u201d said Professor Tr\u1ea7n \u0110\u00f4ng A<\/strong>, the surgeon responsible for the operation for Vi\u1ec7t and \u0110\u1ee9c in 1988.<\/p>\n

A severe shortage of medical resources made any operation a daunting task, let alone a complex one such as a conjoined twin separation surgery. To prepare for this landmark surgery, the local surgical team sought assistance from Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Lack of electricity and rehearsing on dolls
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\"conjoined
\nImage credit: <\/em>Ph\u1ee5 N\u1eef Online<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Japanese Red Cross assisted by sending \u00a515 million worth of equipment and medicine over to Vietnam to help with the operation. <\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>However, having modern instruments was not enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nImage credit: Ph\u1ee5 N\u1eef Online<\/a> <\/em><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/span>When the local team tested the equipment from Japan, they realized that they didn\u2019t work because the electricity source of the hospital was not stable. Its electricity could suffer an outage at any time.\u00a0<\/span>Learning about this, the Japan team sent 20 voltage regulators to Vietnam by air the following day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Surgeon Tr\u1ea7n \u0110\u00f4ng A recalled the nerve-wrecking days prior to the surgery, \u201cI spent one month to interact with the people who would participate in this puzzling operation. I was surprised to see everyone raring to go even when none of them had any experience in operating on conjoined twins.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>70 physicians involved in the surgery, who were leading medical experts of their time, had to do comprehensive research and practice before the big day came. Surgeon Tr\u1ea7n \u0110\u00f4ng A\u2019s wife, Mdm L\u00ea Th\u1ecb Minh T\u00e2m, an expert in making dolls, also pitched in to help.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"conjoined
\nSurgeon Tr\u1ea7n \u0110\u00f4ng A<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>VnExpress<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

She created life-sized dolls modeling the shapes of Vi\u1ec7t and \u0110\u1ee9c for the surgeons to rehearse on. That was how the team knew that the door of the operating theatre was not large enough to carry the twins through and had to expand it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A surgical miracle that lasted 15 hours<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"\"
\nInside the operating theatre<\/em>
\nImage credit: <\/span>Ph\u1ee5 N\u1eef Online<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

On 4th October 1988, the monumental surgery took place in Vi\u1ec7t \u0110\u1ee9c Hospital, spearheaded by chief surgeon Tr\u1ea7n \u0110\u00f4ng A and a team of leading physicians from Vietnam and Japan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
\nImage credit: <\/span>Ph\u1ee5 N\u1eef Online<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

After 15 hours, the twins were successfully separated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"conjoined
\nImage credit: <\/span>VnExpress<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u0110\u1ee9c recovered rapidly. He was able to stand, walk, and even ride a bicycle after months of physical therapy.<\/p>\n

However, Vi\u1ec7t continued to live in a permanent semi-conscious state for the next 19 years, until he died of pneumonia and kidney failure in 2007.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, \u0110\u1ee9c has a family of his own and a stable job at T\u1eeb D\u0169 Hospital, where he first met the physicians who changed his life with their boldness and devotion.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"conjoined
\nImage credit: <\/span>VnExpress<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

To pay his gratitude to the Japanese Red Cross for their timely and life-changing assistance, \u0110\u1ee9c named his two children Anh \u0110\u00e0o (Cherry Blossom) and Ph\u00fa S\u0129 (Fuji) – two national symbols of Japan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only did the talented surgeons from both Vietnam and Japan save \u0110\u1ee9c\u2019s life and give him an even better one, but his elder brother also did.<\/span>
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\n<\/span>\u201cVi\u1ec7t – my elder brother was the victim. I\u2019m still wishing that he didn\u2019t have that fever that left his brain damaged. In that case, he would still be alive and kicking. We could share with each other the joy and pains of this life,\u201d \u0110\u1ee9c said in an interview reported by <\/span>VnExpress<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThe day he went away, I felt as if I had just lost half of me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though one of the legendary twins is survived by the other, it doesn\u2019t change the fact that the unprecedented surgery was nothing short of a miracle that gave them a new lease of life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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A surgery that testified to the incredible advancements of Vietnam\u2019s medical scene<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The surgery to separate the conjoined twins Vi\u1ec7t and \u0110\u1ee9c will always be a landmark in Vietnam’s modern medical history. It was carried out by a team of surgeons and nurses who hadn’t had any experience with such a complex operation, amid a time when modern equipment was scarce and even basic necessities such as electricity unstable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All we had at that time was a team of exceptionally talented surgeons<\/a>, who were determined and dedicated to giving the twins the best chances of healthy, separate lives ahead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to the extraordinary team effort between Vietnam and Japan, the twins were able to lead independent lives that were filled with fresh hope after the surgery.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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