Brew

What Happens When Conjoined Twins Must Be Separated

October 10, 2026·11 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

Recently, twins Ervina and Prefina, who were conjoined at the top of the head, were separated successfully in a Vatican City hospital. Their surgery lasted 18 hours, involving over 30 medical professionals. But not all conjoined twin cases have a happy ending. In many cases, separation means death for one or both of the twins in question. Let’s get into it.Uploaded 15-08-20Disclaimer:Conjoined twins are very rare cases, and the ethics of separation is complicated due to many reasons. We are not medical professionals, but have done a lot of research to create an informative yet entertaining video. It’s not an easy decision for the parents or anyone involved to sacrifice a life to save another. Please be kind in the comments.Sources:[Separation of Conjoined Twins]https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/08/health/conjoined-twins-separated-vatican-scli-intl/index.html?utm_content=2020-07-08T23[What Are Conjoined Twins?]https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/siamese-twins.htmlhttps://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ConditionsAndTreatments/twins-identical-and-fraternalhttps://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/conjoined-twinshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128039946000019https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4470128/https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/conjoined-twins/symptoms-causes/syc-20353910[The Manchester Twins: Jodie and Mary]https://pmj.bmj.com/content/77/911/593https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2780371/Separated-twin-living-life-says-judge-ordered-operation-killed-conjoined-sister.htmlhttps://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/mary-dies-but-jodie-lives-as-twins-are-separated-622105.html[The Philadelphia Twins]https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2307/3527600 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Podzilla Summary coming soon

Sign up to get notified when the full AI-powered summary is ready.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.

Listen to This Episode

Get summaries like this every morning.

Free AI-powered recaps of Brew and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.

Get Free Summaries →

Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.