Conjoined Twins Born In Indore Die In Dewas; Family Took Them Home Despite Doctors’ Warning

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a heartbreaking end to a rare and medically complex case, conjoined twins born at MTH Hospital, Indore, on July 22, passed away on Thursday at their home in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district.

The infants, born with two heads and a single body - a rare condition known as parapagus dicephalus - had been under intensive observation at the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) for more than two weeks before their family chose to take them home.

On Wednesday, August 6, the 22-year-old mother from Palasi village, Harangaon, Dewas district, discharged the newborns against medical advice (LAMA). Less than 24 hours later, both babies died.

Medical experts had strongly recommended continued hospitalization, stressing the twins’ fragile condition and the need for round-the-clock specialist care.

“This baby had one body but two heads. While the lungs, limbs, and most organs were singular, there were two hearts one severely underdeveloped and the other with a major defect. The functioning heart was overloaded, having to pump blood to both brains,” explained Dr. Preeti Malpani, senior neonatologist at MTH Hospital.

According to Dr. Malpani, survival rates for such cases are less than 0.1%. “Even if the baby had survived, the family would have faced lifelong medical crises and emotional challenges,” she said.

Pediatric surgeons ruled out the possibility of separating the twins due to the complexity of their anatomy. The two heads were conjoined at the neck, making surgery medically unfeasible.

“Globally, surgical separation is only attempted in extremely rare cases where the heads are separate and certain shared organs can be divided. This case did not meet any of those conditions,” Dr. Malpani noted.

The twins were delivered via emergency C-section under spinal anesthesia in the early hours of July 22. The mother had been registered at Harangaon PHC and attended four antenatal checkups, but no congenital abnormality had been detected. By the time she reached MTH Hospital, she was already in advanced labor.