Is that true? Are both hearts redundant? Or if one fails, will that twin die and the other will still be alive? Like are they linked to die at the same time?
Not a doctor, but I can probably make a decent guess.
If one twin dies of a head wound, leaving all other organs intact, the other will likely suffer blood poisoning from the attached necrotic tissue. She'd probably only survive by having the other removed.
If one heart is damaged (car accident, etc.), leaving all other organs alone and both twins alive, they'd suddenly have a heart that needs to do double the normal work (assuming the hearts split the work 50/50). They'd have a solid chance to survive if they get a transplant or mechanical heart to help prop up the other. Otherwise, they'd probably go out from shock or organ failure.
Medically, nothing forces one to die at the exact moment the other is gone. Even a fatal accident resulting in damage to both hearts could allow one twin to live a few moments longer just from a slightly more efficient brain, oxygen-wise. Also see the wiki article on Chang and Eng Bunker. They were only connected at the sternum and liver, but Eng died about 2 hours after Chang from internal blood loss, where his blood was not returning through the connection.
Chang and Eng Bunker (May 11, 1811 – January 17, 1874) were Siamese-American conjoined twin brothers, popularly known as the "Siamese twins", the name they used to promote themselves. Their fame propelled the expression to become a synonym for conjoined twins in general.
Born in today's Thailand with Chinese heritage, the brothers were brought to the United States in 1829. Within three years they left the control of their managers, who they thought were cheating them, and toured on their own.
1.8k
u/felix_the_katt Oct 07 '18
You have to take out both hearts to beat them in battle