This week's separation of conjoined twins Eva and Erika Sandoval at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford provided many dramatic moments for our photographers to capture. The team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and others was led by Gary Hartman, MD, facing camera in lower left photo, who had been planning for separation since the girls were born at Packard Children's in 2014.
The photos show Erika and Eva before surgery; a 3-D printed model of their shared torso that surgeons used for planning the separation; several action shots from the procedure; and the happy reactions of the girls' parents, older siblings and grandmother upon hearing the news that the separation was a success.
At a press conference at the hospital yesterday, Hartman said that from the moment his team met the Sandoval family, “the goal of the family and all the providers has been the same goal we have for all of our children: that we end up with two happy, healthy girls. Anyone who saw the girls before surgery the other day can testify to the happy part. We think this week we made a big step toward the healthy part. The girls are recovering well.”
Previously: Conjoined twins successfully separated at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Twins update: Formerly conjoined twins strong and healthy and Two separate girls! Packard Children's surgeons separate conjoined twins
Photos by David Hodges and Kate DeTrempe
