Conjoined Twins Sharing a Heart delivered in Atlanta!

Medic-ALL (05:12:2014)

A set of conjoined male twins sharing a heart, torso, arms and legs, were born, early Thursday in an Atlanta hospital, in the United States, marking a medical rarity as many such babies do not survive delivery

Asa and Eli Hamby - who can never be separated as they share a heart and circulatory system - were welcomed into the world at 7.32am(EST) via a pre-planned (elective) Caeserean section to parents Robin (Mum) and Michael (Dad) and according to a dedicated 'Hamby Twins' Facebook page are healthy and well.

The rare and extremely risky pregnancy was carried through to 37 weeks and Robin and Michael traveled from Alabama to Atlanta's Northside Hospital for specialist care.

Born with two heads, but sharing one body, the condition Asa and Eli have is known as dicephalic parapagus - an extremely unusual form of conjoinment, affecting only one-in-a-million births.

Shortly after the birth of the twins however, the Mother of the babies was told there was a slight issue with her sons' heart, but that they are doing well.

"There is an issue with the right side of the heart. The left side is perfect. The right side has like an extra atrium and an extra ventricle, and there's two aortas. One of the arteries is like switched, not in the right place because of having extra ones, but he said that their vital signs are stable,' said the mum to the Ledger Enquirer (a local newspaper).

Conjoined twins generally occur once in every 200,000 live births and most do not survive, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. About 40 to 60 percent are stillborn, and about 35 percent live only one day.

The newborn brothers were given medication for their joint heart and intubated to help them breathe, Michael Hamby told the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspaper on Thursday morning.