03.31.07
Viagra saves babies
AN APPLE a day, it is said, helps keep the doctor away. For two desperately ill babies however, taking Viagra the male impotence drug has actually saved their lives.Lewis Goodfellow, born 16 weeks early, is making excellent progress after being given the drug, also called Sildenafil, to help open blood vessels in his under-developed lungs.
Erin Cottington, on the other hand, is doing well after taking one of the blue pills every day to help keep her blood pressure down.
Lewis, one of the first babies to be given the drug at the Royal Victoria Infirmarys special baby care unit in Newcastle, was born premature, with seriously under-developed lungs.
When he was three weeks old, he needed open-heart surgery to correct a faulty valve. But doctors became increasingly worried about his lungs. Despite being given maximum supplies of oxygen, he still struggled to get it into his blood, reported the Daily Mail.
As a last resort the doctors tried Viagra through a drip and he started to improve.
Now after five months in hospital, Lewis is back at home with his parents. And he is even starting to smile.
Erin Cottington was first given Viagra when she was a few days old to help her overcome life-threatening circulatory problems caused by her under-developed heart and lungs.
Erin was born with her intestines and bowels pushed into her chest cavity, crushing her heart and right lung.
Artificial blood was pumped into her lungs to help increase their capacity. She was given Viagra to open up her blood vessels and improve the flow.
Altogether, Erin had had eight operations, including open-heart surgery, before she was three months old.
After more than 10 months in hospital, Erin returned home to Blackley, Manchester, where she is developing like a normal child.
Source : Thestar
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