Most people will automatically think of a drug to treat impotence when say the name viagra. But English doctors used the anti-impotence drug Viagra to save the life of a severely premature baby. The drug gave to Lewis Goodfellow, who was born at 24 weeks, weighing just one pound, eight ounces (780 grammes), as one of his lungs failed and not enough oxygen was getting into his bloodstream.
The drug opened up tiny blood vessels in his lungs, allowing oxygen to be captured and flow around the body. Sildenafil (Viagra) does is open up the blood vessels so they can capture the oxygen and take it around the body. Althought oxygen can be pumped into the lungs of premature babies with breathing difficulties, there was not enough blood supply to carry it elsewhere.
Lewis's mother, Jade Goodfellow, and father, John Barclay, were so concerned their son was going to die that they began planning his funeral until doctors told them Sildenafil might work. The couple are still amazed the blue sex pill was able to save their son's life.
Lewis, who was born in August last year, now six months old was eventually allowed home last month. He still needs 24-hour oxygen but Jade and John are overjoyed that he is alive at all and said Lewis really is a miracle baby and they decided would never give up hope until he had taken his last breath.
