Al Rabeeah: Jamaican Twin Stable, Sibling Still in Critical Condition Two Weeks after Separation

   Riyadh, November 27, 2025, SPA -- One of the Jamaican conjoined twins, Azaria and Azora Elson, separated in a complex operation in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, is in stable condition, while her sister remains in critical care.
   Advisor at the Royal Court and King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Supervisor General Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, who heads the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme’s medical and surgical team, said Azaria has left the pediatric intensive care unit, with her vital signs back to normal and able to eat and interact normally.
   Meanwhile, two weeks after the operation that took place on November 13 at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital, part of King Abdulaziz Medical City of the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs in Riyadh, Dr. Al Rabeeah said Azora still suffers heart problems.
   She remains on ventilation in the pediatric intensive care unit and is receiving medications to prevent acute heart failure and fluid buildup in the lungs.
   Since birth and before arriving in the Kingdom, Azora has suffered from an enlarged heart and severely weakened cardiac muscle. Her heart pumps at less than 20% of the normal rate, which has required doctors to support her heart with medication and diuretics since her early days.
   Dr. Al Rabeeah added that the multidisciplinary team, including specialists in cardiac diseases and transplantation, held several meetings and concluded that Azora needs a heart transplant in order to survive.
   However, due to her age, weight, and the absence of a compatible donor organ that suits her size, and in line with local transplant criteria, a transplant is not possible, reducing her chances of survival, Dr. Al Rabeeah said.
   Before and after the separation surgery, the team explained the situation to the twins’ mother, who accepted the medical decision. He added that her twin, Azaria, is in good health and is ready to be discharged from the hospital.
   The Jamaican twins were conjoined at the lower chest, abdomen, and liver.
   Their separation was completed successfully in six stages over five hours, with the participation of a 25-member team of consultants, specialists, nurses, and technical staff in anesthesia, pediatric surgery, and plastic surgery.
   The Jamaican twins’ operation is the 67th performed under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Programme, which over 35 years has cared for 152 sets of twins from 28 countries across five continents.
   -- SPA