As of 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 8, Maria Teresa and Maria de Jesus Quiej Alvarez remain in critical condition with stable vital signs in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at UCLA’s Mattel Children’s Hospital in Westwood, Calif.

Maria de Jesus briefly fluttered her eyes overnight after doctors took the twins off paralytic agents. Doctors administered the drugs after the surgery to protect the sisters from brain injury by preventing coughing and movement in the very early stages of recovery.

“We remain cautiously optimistic about the long-term prospects of Maria Teresa and Maria de Jesus,� said Dr. Andy Madikians, assistant professor of pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and PICU attending physician for the twins. “There are still many medical hurdles to cross.�

The conjoined twins were separated early Tuesday, Aug. 6, in a nearly 23-hour surgery. Maria Teresa underwent a two-part, five-hour surgical procedure later that day to correct a subdural hematoma, or build-up of blood in the brain.