Twins breathing independently following lengthy separation surgery

According to hospital officials, the conjoined twins separated during lengthy surgery last week in Salt Lake City are now breathing independently.

Four year-old twins Kendra and Maliyah Herrin, 4, were removed from ventilators yesterday and twenty four hours later their condition has been upgraded from critical to serious.

They are both making excellent progress says a spokeswoman from the Primary Children's Medical Center.

Doctors also say there are at present no signs of post-surgery infections following the marathon 26-hour surgery.

The twins from North Salt Lake were born joined at mid-torso and shared a liver, kidney, bladders and a single pelvis.

They had only two legs, each one controlled by one girl.

Despite the good news they remain however in a serious but stable condition.

The twins appear to be making steady and comparable progress and are keeping pace with each other in the recovery process.

The blonde, blue-eyed girls have endured surgery which separated their torsos, liver, bladders and pelvis, leaving each girl with one leg.

Kendra has retained the only kidney while Maliyah has been placed on dialysis until she is ready to receive a kidney transplant from mother, Erin Herrin.