Viagra gives new lease of life to baby with heart defect

Kolkata, Jun 5 (PTI) Tanisha, a 4-month-old baby girl,
suffering from an extremely rare congenital heart defect,
received a new lease of life with popular anti-impotency drug
Viagra, which was used to reduce high blood pressure during a
prolonged operation at a multi-speciality hospital in Chennai.

Tanisha, born to Subrata and Dipa Saha of Kolkata through
caesarian section, was suffering from recurring bouts of
breathing trouble since she was two months old and sometimes
even used to turn blue due to it since her birth in December.

"She had cyanotica congenital heart defect, which
affects only one in a lakh. Her heart was on the right side
with a hole in it coupled with an ineffective and
underdeveloped right lung," cardiac surgeon K R Balakrishnan
of Malar hospital, a subsidiary of Fortis health care, Chennai
told reporters here in the capital of eastern state of West
Bengal Thursday.

The baby had very high blood pressure in the right lung
leading to flow of blood from the wrong direction to the
heart, he said.

It was a high risk, complicated, four-hour surgery,
Balakrishnan said.

"Viagra, used in the form of Silbenfril, was applied
orally to reduce blood pressure in the lungs during the
operation, Balakrishnan, who performed seventh such surgery,
said.

The baby suffered four respiratory attacks while
travelling from Kolkata to Chennai on April 3.
Her aunt, Kalpana Sabui, who was instrumental
in getting in touch with Balakrishnan and taking the child to
Chennai, said Tanisha was in hospital for two months.

She said Balakrishnan not only took personal care of
the child, but also raised funds for the operation. PTI PB
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