Surgeons Break Down Separating Conjoined Twins | WIRED

Dr. Jesse Taylor, MD and Dr. Gregory Heuer, MD, PhD, successfully separated craniopagus twins Erin and Abby Delaney. How did they do it? Jesse and Gregory sit down with WIRED and break down the tools and techniques they used to do what seems impossible, separate twins conjoined at the head.
Director: Maya Dangerfield
Director of Photography: Tom Upton
Editor: Paul Tael, Joshua Pullar
Experts: Gregory Heuer, MD, PhD, Jesse Taylor, MD
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Brandon White
Production Manager: Eric Martinez
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Assistant Camera: Paul Hazlet
Audio: Fran Kalfas
Production Assistant: Taylor Purdy
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
Special Thanks: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
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[@tipsysmichigander6483]

I had brain surgery at 17. The size of the team of healthcare professionals that worked on my case was unbelievable... Props to all the nurses and others who don't get the credit deserved.

[@edithdlp8045]

I had a brain tumor removed 4 years ago and due to the tumor I had a stroke 2 weeks after.

[@hibach3]

the size of your bill must be huge too. hope you had insurance

[@tipsysmichigander6483]

@@hibach3 It was in 300k+ i had insurance thankfully.

[@hibach3]

@@tipsysmichigander6483 Nice! just live your best life. The US might have the most advance healthcare in the world but also the most expensive

[@tipsysmichigander6483]

@Nan Moto I'm 34 now - Have many complications, I had to relearn how to walk, write, eat, pretty much everything and was diagnosed with a disorder called Neurofibromatosis 1. Some Tumors still in my brain and along my nervous system but for the most part, I'm doing well, hoping for the best future I can have. Thanks for asking, Stay safe!

[@kirstenlopez]

My father’s a neurosurgeon and he actually helped separate a pair of Filipino craniopagus twins who were sent to the US for surgery. It’s truly amazing how much surgeons (and all healthcare workers) can do to heal people.

[@eleeshaa]

your father’s a legend

[@kianawilcox253]

God bless your father, you must be so proud. What a blessing to people he must be. That is amazing he performed that and I wish him the upmost respect.

[@thalmoragent9344]

Man, what a great thing your dad did, God Bless him

[@Wipedownurtearslouvre]

Brilliant father🤗

[@cool358]

🥶

[@jopo7996]

It's amazing what brilliant doctors can do, when they put their heads together .

[@olebrumm8]

that is funny

[@StarCrusher.]

Bro

[@ChicoCoolio21]

;₱

[@dnail]

No pon intended or was it

[@asher8085]

@@dnail obviously intended but still hilarious lmao

[@allbuildingblocks]

The fact that he mentioned the whole team tells me he is not only a good doctor, he is a humble person too.

[@enigma_steve]

I was hoping to see a comment like this. Well said, and cannot agree more.

[@fermentedfruit]

well in reality it's never just them. it's literally the whole team. without the others in there they can't do the job effectively same the other way around

[@kotvinnamanar281]

@@fermentedfruitthat's s a fact. But we are appreciative of the doctor giving credit where credit is due because that is not very common.

[@alecity4877]

Look at his bowtie that tells you he is a great guy.

[@Maqtka]

@@alecity4877 Bow ties are cool.

[@OPnerdthey]

I can't imagine how terrifying the procedure was for the parents. The thought of losing both your daughters at once

[@TomRiddleIsEvil]

Agreed, that would be so scary. But I'm guessing that the alternative - leaving them untreated - would be so much worse.

[@janglangmalatang7475]

Believe .. Surgeons stand near God

[@bobbirdsong6825]

Double kill

[@fatherramen475]

@@bobbirdsong6825 come on dude.. that wasn’t necessary

[@filipkogut8533]

@@fatherramen475 it's a joke, stop being so sensitive.

[@victoriaa.993]

It's kind of insane that the most common question about this new and complicated procedure is how were the parents able to pay for it. Worse, it's not even a silly question.

[@jimena7430]

That's what I thought throughout the whole video😰

[@intifadayuri]

Peak capitalism, human lives are only worth saving if they can afford it

[@lauraqueentint]

@@jimena7430 yeah... and this was done in the US. Must have cost a fortune.

[@callofdutyblackops9]

Most surgeries of this magnitude are covered by the hospital itself. These are pretty experiemental procedures with fairly high morbidity rates, so they aren't going to have parents pay for something their child might not survive, especially if it's not a proven 100% set in stone procedure like this one. Procedures like these change all the time.

[@leabugmp]

@@callofdutyblackops9 and more cynically, this does bring prestige and press coverage to the hospital if successful so it's a benefit to them administratively as well. Enables them to attract top talent and raise funds.

[@errhka]

I love when they show the entire team - it takes the teamwork of dozens of humans to make something like this possible on top of the skill of the surgeons. Kudos to all the hospital staff involved!

[@rhov-anion]

Indeed! My little sister needed a pretty serious brain surgery back in 2001, and while the media gave all credit to the surgeon, the ones who my sister interacted with the most were the nurses, who came to love her. When she needed to return for another surgery a few years later, all the old nurses rushed into her room to see how she had grown and improved. They even called in nurses who had moved on to other hospitals and one who retired. It really was like she was everybody's little sister in that children's hospital. So many staff get personally, emotionally involved. Bless our nurses, techs, and doctors.

[@catalinamaldonado5710]

This is absolutely incredible! What stood out to me even more was that Dr. Heuer acknowledged the team that helped with this procedure. The picture towards the end where we see everyone who was involved made me tear up a bit - people who are in the healthcare field have my utmost respect and admiration! 🙏

[@infpdreams]

That's the hospital my platelet donations have gone to several times! It's wonderful to see this incredible operation being performed and giving these kids a chance at a much easier life than they would have had otherwise.

[@kianawilcox253]

God bless you for donating. Thank you for helping others. ♥️

[@parkerb4449]

Thank you for donating! I couldn’t donate anymore after a medical procedure but am so thankful for folks like you that still do :)

[@livewellwitheds6885]

thank you for donating, it saves lives of so many people in my community [disability community]

[@infpdreams]

@@livewellwitheds6885 It's so worthwhile and I'm honestly grateful I can do it. I wish I had known prior to last year that I have AB+ blood and thus my platelets and plasma are able to help a lot of people. Alas, everyone in my life thought I had B+ like my dad until I gave to the Red Cross and set up a profile and was immediately confused.

[@infpdreams]

@@parkerb4449 I have a friend who has O- blood and she used to be able to donate blood plenty, but she's since then gone through cancer and chemo, so her body no longer can manage it. It's just great that people do it for as long as they can, since it's one of those rare sorts of donations that you KNOW is going to be given to someone who needs it, not sneakily pocketed by some greedy company. After all, who has use for blood products except those in medical need?

[@livewellwitheds6885]

I absolutely love how these doctors genuinely want to help others and acknowledge their whole team of co-workers

[@FatherTime89]

How weird would it be growing up and learning you were conjoined at the head when you were too young to remember it.

[@Soft.Catnip]

thats what i wanna know

[@makatron]

The doctor saying this is a team effort shows how humble these doctors are. It takes a village to complete these surgeries and also amazing how science has advanced to successfully separate conjoined twins.

[@dorissaclaire]

I really respect these surgeon’s philosophical approach “innovation not for innovation’s sake but to help kids.” You would be SHOCKED at how many doctors in this field don’t feel this way. I did a research project on conjoined twins and discovered that Ben Carson has actually separated a few sets. One, I believe in the 90’s where the twins lived but one was brain damaged and his quality of life was very low. At the time, Carson said it was not a successful surgery because the twins did not maintain a good quality of life. Then later in his career he performed a similar surgery where both twins sadly died. And he said the surgery was a success because they learned so much. It benefited science so much. This change in his perspective over his career has always disturbed me a lot.

[@annnee6818]

He became a Republican?😵

[@nebulisnoobis102]

@@annnee6818 politics doesn’t have anything to do with this

[@dorissaclaire]

@@annnee6818 to my knowledge he was always a republican, he did become a politician though.

[@shiromashiro9382]

I don't think he changed his mind i think he said that out of compassion for the parents. Letting them know that their kids death is not in vain and might help other kids suffering the same fate....

[@ii4371]

It could also just be a way to help everyone involved deal with their grief over the tragic loss of life. Knowing the twins' death was at least not in vain would make it easier to cope.

[@chrysshart]

I really appreciate that they emphasize the importance of the entire team and trying to improve processes to ensure better outcomes for patients.

[@artchic528]

Modern surgery is so much less invasive than surgery even 10-20 years ago! I had a small tumor in my colon and the surgeon took it out with an endoscopy tool on a robotic surgery unit. Granted the unit looked straight out of an alien space ship ready to probe patients (which it does in a way) but before it’s invention and use in surgery, patients like me had to have a fully open abdominal surgery with a colostomy bag installed and several months of recovery. Compare that to the couple of months I took to recover without needing a colostomy bag and it’s just amazing!

[@Mohammed-bd7ql]

Bless the parents for intervening at such a young age regardless, can't imagine the humongous costs they must've gone through.

[@hilltopgypsy]

I'm more than certain that they couldn't have afforded to afford that operation if they'd saved up for 1000 years! Maybe they could have afforded the plane tickets, but that's about it. American "Health Care" is beyond CrAzY Expensive and just laying in a hospital bed costs over $500 a day, and that's not EVEN adding in an aspirin. You'd probably have to double the cost if you REALLY NEEDED to add in an aspirin tablet! I would guess the cost for the whole surgery would EASILY EXCEED a million dollars, not including the Doctors bills. And there were 2 Main Dr.s, and no telling how many others involved, though I wouldn't be at all surprised if the entire surgical team could have exceeded 20 people. If you think about it, that might have added up to Real Money 💵💰💵💰! Maybe $20 or $30 dollars more!

[@eddenoy321]

This may have been covered by a medical research grant of some kind.

[@spicybrown75]

@@hilltopgypsy I guess you didn't watch the full video...yeah there was a whole team of people involved and one the Dr credited them as well.

[@MommyKhaos]

@@eddenoy321 the majority of children's hospitals in the US have little to no cost given to parents. When I was a kid I had several infected teeth that needed to be removed, and after everything was done my parents bill was about 300-400 dollars.

[@eddenoy321]

@@MommyKhaos I hope hat is true for all and not only for those who are flat broke or on SSI.

[@tdackjordan5873]

At first I thought they were going to start breaking down crying because of separating them

[@khalilahd.]

Same 🥲

[@leopardthebismarck1519]

These two are probably the most doctor looking doctors to ever doctor

[@rlowethewitch8417]

Terrific tutorial, can’t wait to try this out 😁😁😁

[@bryantparks6634]

Bro

[@ranime9495]

Bro

[@jackyb7547]

Sis

[@Luna-ml7id]

Getting my chainsaw ready

[@amandant]

@@bryantparks6634 sis 😂😂

[@theeniebean]

"Save a child, save a lifetime" is such a powerful phrase - more people need to subscribe to that ideology!

[@geraldrotich3774]

The skill and years the surgeons have between themselves is- I am pretty certain - immeasurable. Props to them and the entire team.

[@JonathanAlexanderM]

This further affirms that I cannot be a doctor but super glad there’s people out here that are happy to be doing what they’re doing

[@jemyildirim9945]

If you can save a child you save a lifetime. What a wonderful line.

[@KimberlyByrdV]

I’ve followed Abby and Erin for years and watching their journey is nothing short of a miracle. They’re growing into two beautiful spunky young girls! Well done doctors, and well done to Abby and Erin’s family.

[@hazelnutchocopie]

in the end when they also give credits to the nurses, anesthesiologists and other healthcare workers, i can tell that they're not just great doctors; they're great peoples, too. respect!

[@kinoko6096]

I’m so glad they mentioned the rest of the team that was part of the process! It’s so cool seeing how many people helped and they aren’t always given the credit they deserve

[@A_Casual_NPC]

It's kinda insane to think they've separated those two girls using the same bodily functions that allowed me to stretch my earlobes. Modern medicine is truly amazing

[@Cane4092]

How big yo earlobes? Kinda a weird question but like the size of a baseball?golfball?penny?

[@NayvieNoir]

The fact that both doctors could describe such a process in layman’s terms shows just how knowledgeable they are.

[@lifeaschronicallyingrid]

All surgeons are incredible. I essentially have a dead gallbladder inside me and because of surgeons I’ll be able to have my life back soon enough. I can’t stress enough how incredible these people truly are

[@heyriyadesu]

Hope you get alright ASAP.

[@lifeaschronicallyingrid]

@@heyriyadesu thank you 🙏🏼

[@DROGOC0P]

I hope you are ok now

[@lebrown5075]

I used to watch a lot of 'separation of conjoined twins' shows on like dateline or 2020 back in the day, several decades ago. And wow I thought they had cool techniques then but it's amazing how far they've come in a relatively short period of time.

[@danielle3831]

My great aunt (who just recently turned 70) was a conjoined twin at the heel. Her twin sister did not survive the separation. I’m glad these doctors can give help in even more severe cases now.

[@maryannkom299]

They were joined at the feet and one didn’t make it? Wow.

[@alfiesansom7596]

Surgeons break down separating conjoined twins? No wonder, must be a difficult job.

[@Blizzardheart12]

I think they mean break down as in explain!

[@alfiesansom7596]

@@Blizzardheart12 hmmm I'm not sure about that... :)

[@ilsanking4334]

@@alfiesansom7596 did you even watch the video

[@alfiesansom7596]

@@ilsanking4334 no

[@mmgs1148]

@@ilsanking4334 he is obviously joking and teasing you guys

[@SceneComparisons]

I was anxious, shocked, intrigued and cried at the end. What a journey.

[@chrissres]

Not only it required crazy skill and precision. You only get one shot at it.

[@edithdlp8045]

I had a brain tumor that was removed by a great team of professionals among a great neurosurgeon, phycal therapist, nurses, anesthesiologist, physical therapist, to name a few. I am alive and well thanks to him and his amazing team 👏 👏 👏

[@edithdlp8045]

@Trout Wilson thank you for your concern. Much appreciated 🙏

[@mikejones-nd6ni]

Ppl like this should be paid more than any athlete

[@monkeyprojects129]

It's probably not too far off for some of them

[@VlogswAnnabel]

Yep, I’d rather money go towards someone actually saving lives than just having fun running around for a living

[@rebeccavl97]

💯💯💯💯

[@leoramodi5757]

or influencers/celebrities

[@khalilahd.]

It’s incredible to see how far science has come 👏🏽

[@yugiohlegend]

There aren’t enough words to express how grateful I am for doctors, surgeons, literally anyone working in the medical field. I can’t imagine doing anything like that, but I’m so thankful there are people that are.

[@-ISTYXI-]

Man, these surgeons are really ahead of their time.

[@SebastianVG85]

7:20 the best part, excellent, be thankful with the entire team behind that process. Greetings.

[@terrykobleck6529]

Extreme props to these talented doctors and their team. Advances in technology has given them greater flexibility in planning and performing these complex procedures.

[@andidono]

I watch Wired too much I thought this is Conjoined Support 😭

[@Mohammed-bd7ql]

Same 💀

[@ezraalbarra4045]

YOOO 😭

[@greenapple9477]

11 hours? My god. Bless those doctors.

[@hojo70]

"We abandoned the halo approach. Instead, we ran down to the local Pick-n-Pull and grabbed a hose clamp off the radiator of an 84 Chevy pickup truck..."

[@xiantrai]

its good that the doctors gave credit to the group of people behind this operation

[@BlankCanvas88]

These doctors and nurses and everyone involved are amazing. Made me want to tear up what he said at the end. Doctors have to have a bit of a "tough" skin to handle all the stresses, but deep down, most of them have a soft heart that just wants to help people. I pray God bless all of them for that.

[@EmilyS-gk3st]

Agreed!

[@mayyb]

Haven't really started the video yet but love their fun tie/bow ties. Instant tell they are children's doctors.

[@cowcow0506]

I love the doctors’ ties

[@rafaelperalta1676]

Their team is incredible. These kind of people in the medical field are true blessings. I was unfortunate to have had few doctors before who acts harsh. There was once where I had to pick between two difficult choices and when I told him what I picked, he laughed at my decision. There were also one who only gave me pain relievers for 3 to 4 days despite me having a severe intestinal blockage and my appendix on the verge of bursting. But most were kind and compassionate. I am truly thankful to the doctors and nurses who saved and who will save my life in the future. I have a pesky rare genetic disease so being in a life threatening situation again is inevitable.

[@sharondrury5676]

God bless these surgeons. Thank you for helping us understand a bit about what a complex undertaking you graciously completed.

[@victoryscreeech]

When I saw the photo of the whole team of medical staff all I could think about it how unbelievably expensive it must've been for the parents...holy cow

[@starthornfromscratch2718]

I'm not a conjoined twin, but I think these sorts of stories hit especially hard for other twins (next to conjoined twins). After all, it easily could have happened to us, too. God bless these wonderful doctors! You go!

[@hellaSwankkyToo]

wait. did this man just say, "geeked up?!" LMAO 😂🤣

[@kellyann4059]

As a former patient of both Dr. Taylor and Dr. Adzick, I can safely say that I am eternally grateful to have been born and raised in Philadelphia!

[@fjp9]

makes you wonder when they are going to be able to do it in utero… amazing job and respect to all of the people on the team.

[@Waevform]

I’m more interested in mom’s pregnancy, delivery, and what that did to her body as a whole

[@jb6712]

I wouldn't be able to guess the overall effect on her body, but I imagine that she had the twins via C-section. Her OB/GYN would have known very early on that they were conjoined, and would have begun the process of getting them delivered safely.

[@elissaann-ij3tb]

So smart. Back in the day skull binding to make babies have oblong heads in Mayan culture/ Egyptian culture. babies have more flexibility and softer heads because it's still forming. That device is brilliant and these doctors are very smart.

[@SpaceBearEngineer]

The idea of first starting to separate conjoined twins gradually with a process very similar to braces straightening teeth is one of those brilliantly simple inventions, that is so awesome.

[@trinity9792]

i wonder what the process of giving birth to conjoined twins is like

[@iMrDel]

more than likely a cesarean section

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

God that sounds like an absolute nightmare if it were to happen outside of a medical setting. I imagine prior to modern medicine, being pregnant with conjoined twins would have been fatal to the mother quite often.

[@trinity9792]

@@merrymachiavelli2041 I was just thinking that even in a medical setting (even with a c section) it would be difficult since it's essentially delivering 2 ppl at once connected via one body

[@donnakreye8339]

It’s amazing that they are talking about inutero correction or improvement.

[@KatTheLavaGirl]

I read the title wrong and thought the surgeons were literally having a break down over separating conjoined twins

[@bladeeshotgf5500]

Incredible! I’m so thankful such smart people exist bc I can’t imagine ever even comprehending all this

[@HIDE-oj6ps]

The thumbnail made me take a look at it again. I thought you find a twin that is also both a doctor talk about how to safely operate on a conjoined twin.

[@Stitcher_in_MD]

Bless their little hearts and their entire medical team. Hopefully the children will live long and happy lives.

[@saphira122mimi]

Thanks to all the team of health profissionals that makes miracles like this possible ❤️

[@Nannerchan]

I’m a graduate of Children’s Hospital Philadelphia. I was in the old hospital under the care of the late Jesse Nicholson. Great hospital. Great doctors.

[@victoriaohana6285]

Storm of emotions here. I'm glad they're safe.

[@LorraineRobertsKarsgaard]

These kinds of people are the real superheroes.

[@Blisscent]

They SURVIVED? This is incredible!

[@dstrau7987]

CHOP is a fantastic hospital with doctors, nurses and professionals that really care. They were fantastic with my son.

[@robinshishido3510]

Absolutely incredible. Such an amazing team of people!!

[@hubbabubba8083]

Quick shout out to the Neurosurgeon who not only separated the CONJOINED TWINS but also worked hard to lose a lot of weight since then, he looks awesome!

[@Thought.Strings]

I couldn't imagine these Doctors to have any other ties. I don't know why :D

[@zimbim7562]

well they are pediatricians

[@veraniaamaton6747]

That physician is awesome for crediting the entire team of healthcare providers that helped in the girls’ procedure and recovery. Great man. 💗

[@achaides]

Serious question, how do conjoined twins grow in the womb when they are joined at the head like that??

[@ReySilverskin]

Two doctors put their heads together to take two babies' heads apart.

[@almaaa95]

A Saudi doctor is famous for separating conjoined twins called Abdullah al-Rabeeah he did over 48 cases.

[@R32R38]

It was hard not to be distracted by the massive Nerd Gap between the collars of Dr. Taylor's shirt and white coat.

[@esnevip]

Props to the mother for passing that

[@Mandy87Marie]

I’m sure the mom had a c-section. Not sure if you are being sarcastic or not.

[@AndySaenz]

These doctors are heroes! They saved these twins’ lives!

[@CLSGL]

2:53 blows my mind. The human body is a masterpiece in engineering.

[@ROBOTBULB]

they got a lot on their mind

[@SXXLSXRFER]

The highs and lows these guys must have experienced...

[@Urm0mz]

I remember 30 years ago these babies would have been on talk shows as an oddity.

[@btsgarbage]

the discussion at 6:45 is amazing i really hope more research goes into fetal separation

[@kittypewpew]

Can you interview the anesthesiologists as well? What was it like keeping 2 asleep at the same time?

[@yeehawtomahawk]

I had the same thought!

[@marusilda1]

Огромное спасибо всем медицинским работникам! Браво!

[@tk-eu5bf]

you also have a great imaging team! dont forget about us radiology peeps

[@ChrisJericho-yf4db]

I could never do what surgeons do. These guys deserve so much. Im glad they get paid highly atleast.

[@chocomi9656]

God bless these doctors and these precious babies

[@Tasoq]

It's amazing the things surgeons can do these days

[@레드썬쎗]

these men are so smart and they love what they're doing! when it's done out of compassion, blessings would surely follow. God bless them!

[@Ivy.Huesmann]

just found these two on tiktok !! incredibly fascinating how far the medical field has come

[@nicfoster4094]

This is nothing short of amazing.👏

[@musicmarlene]

My husband and I have watched the Ben Carson documentary, awesome

[@dearlyreverie]

The 3D model is so small, I know they are babies but, wow

[@Lichen8404]

I appreciate the layman's terms and admitting that the device used to constrict the girls apart looks exactly like a hose clamp

[@pauljoseph3081]

*Truly amazing... A few minutes ago, I was watching those fake Guru's claiming that Doctors are dumb wasting their life studying only failing to become millionaires. I was so pissed, a few scrolls now I saw this recommendation, YT is really good at trolling your emotions.*

[@OlenaBz]

These are the real heroes! Bravo!

[@giannisleontsinis9446]

yeah science these guys are awesome