Conjoined twin dies just months after surgery to separate her from sister

A conjoined twin who survived a mammoth operation to separate the siblings died on Christmas Eve, just months after the surgery.

Aruna and Kiraz Rodrigues were born conjoined at the thorax, abdomen, and pelvis and were just 18 months old when they underwent a 19-hour operation on May 10.

Kiraz died days after the complex procedure to separate the pair, while her twin sister Aruna showed signs of improvement following the surgery.

Aruna was moved from the intensive care unit (ICU) to the hospital ward, officials from the hospital said.

She remained in hospital under specialist supervision for seven months, but within two weeks developed respiratory issues and returned to the ICU.

Aruna died from complications after receiving treatment from the State Hospital for Children and Adolescents in Goiania, Brazil.

Doctors diagnosed her with a viral infection and said she died from septic shock at 3.51pm on Christmas Eve.

Lead surgeon Zacharias Calil confirmed her death on social media on December 24, the Daily Mail reported.

In a video, he said: ‘Today, God decided to relieve Aruna’s suffering and took her to be close to her sister Kiraz, an immense pain for all of us, especially for this family that fought with courage, faith and love for their Siamese twins.’

Aruna’s father, Alessandro Rodrigues, shared on social media his daughter’s extensive hospital care before her death.

Mr Rodrigues said: ‘The baby went through several procedures and several surgeries and she managed to overcome all of them, unfortunately, she did not overcome this last one, which was leaving the intensive care unit for the ward.’

Aruna and her family were given full medical and psychological support throughout her treatment, the hospital said in a statement.

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