FORT WORTH, Texas — Dr. José Iglesias gave himself only a few seconds to admire his work.
Situated in a Cook Children’s Medical Center operating room in Fort Worth on Monday, Iglesias and his team of practitioners watched as the 16-week-old conjoined twin girls in front of them were separated for the first time. It marked the pinnacle of one of the most complicated — and highest-stakes — dances the medical director for pediatric surgery had ever choreographed.
The team — including plastic surgeons, neonatologists, anesthesiologists, nurses and medical technicians — allowed the feeling of elation to wash over them and cheered, albeit briefly. So rare is it for a pair of conjoined twins to survive separation surgery that Monday marked the first time it had ever happened at the Fort Worth hospital.
