File #: Res 0660-2004    Version: * Name: Honor the special skills of the medical staff at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.
Type: Resolution Status: Adopted
Committee: Committee on Health
On agenda: 10/27/2004
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: Resolution honoring the special skills of the medical staff at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore who performed surgeries for Carl and Clarence Aguirre, honoring the bravery of these two young children and their mother, Arlene Aguirre, and expressing the enthusiasm of this City and the world in their successful recovery for a bright future.
Sponsors: Joel Rivera, Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., Tony Avella, Maria Baez, Erik Martin Dilan, Helen D. Foster, James F. Gennaro, Robert Jackson, Letitia James, G. Oliver Koppell, John C. Liu, Christine C. Quinn, Larry B. Seabrook, David I. Weprin, Michael E. McMahon, Domenic M. Recchia, Jr.
Council Member Sponsors: 16
Attachments: 1. Hearing Transcript, 2. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 11/23/04, 3. Committee Report

Res. No. 660

 

Resolution honoring the special skills of the medical staff at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore who performed surgeries for Carl and Clarence Aguirre, honoring the bravery of these two young children and their mother, Arlene Aguirre, and expressing the enthusiasm of this City and the world in their successful recovery for a bright future.

 

By Council Members Rivera, Addabbo, Avella, Baez, Dilan, Foster, Gennaro, Jackson, James, Koppell, Liu, Quinn, Seabrook, Weprin, McMahon and Recchia

 

Whereas, Carl and Clarence Aguirre suffered from an extremely rare type of conjoining referred to as craniopagus; and

Whereas, These twins shared a two-inch section of brain tissue, skull bone, dura mater (the protective lining around the brain), vital blood vessels and the sagittal sinus, a large vein that takes blood away from the brain and carries it to the heart; and

Whereas, Because of their condition, Carl and Clarence were never able to sit up, crawl, walk or explore the world the way other children their age do; and

Whereas, Arlene Aguirre, the mother of Carl and Clarence, is a registered nurse who expressed her desire to have her sons separated so they could have an opportunity to lead independent lives; and

Whereas, After months of extensive review of the twins' conditions and consultations with experts around the world who have conducted separation procedures, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore agreed to take the Aguirre case because craniopagus twins are quite rare, and the combination of commitment, talent and experience at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore makes it one of the few facilities in the world that can provide the kind of expertise a procedure of this magnitude required; and

Whereas, According to medical literature, about 30 to 40 separation surgeries have been performed since 1920, with seven separations taking place worldwide in the last decade; and

Whereas, The separation of conjoined twins is a highly technical and challenging procedure, and the rate for one or both twins even living through the procedure is fifty percent; and

Whereas, After four procedures over the course of 10 months involving a medical team that included pediatric craniofacial plastic surgeons, pediatric neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, pediatric anesthesiologists, a pediatric geneticist, pediatricians, pediatric intensive care unit nursing staff, respiratory therapists, nutritionists, physical therapists and social workers, the Aguirre twins are now successfully separated; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York honors the special skills of the medical staff at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore who performed surgeries for Carl and Clarence Aguirre, honors the bravery of these two young children and their mother, Arlene Aguirre, and expresses the enthusiasm of this City and the world in their successful recovery for a bright future.

 

DP

LS# 1550

8/26/04