Conjoined Twin Dies After Separation Procedure At Children’s Hospital Colorado

Children's Hospital Colorado says a conjoined twin passed away after a complicated separation procedure on Thursday.

Amber McCullough of Hastings, Minnesota, gave birth to twins Hannah and Olivia by cesarean section on Wednesday at the Aurora hospital. The twins shared an abdomen, liver, and intestinal tract, but had separate hearts and kidneys.

Olivia was not expected to survive due to problems with her heart, and passed away. McCullough told KARE-TV in Minneapolis that she only had a single ventricle in her heart and was missing valves.

Hannah is in critical but stable condition, according to Children's Hospital Colorado spokeswoman Elizabeth Whitehead.

Conjoined twins occur once every 200,000 live births with 40-60% arriving stillborn, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.