Researchers report that fifteen of 16 children participating in a 12-week rehabilitation program at Children's Hospital Boston showed significant gains in heart function.
Congenital heart defects affect about 8 in 1000 newborns. Thanks to modern medicine most of these cases can be treated. The vast majority of these tiny patients have diminished exercise capacity after the defects are repaired, however some of this reduction is caused by a lack of activity.
Cardiologist Jonathan Rhodes, says, "These kids haven't exercised much. They've been told by coaches, doctors, parents and teachers, 'Oh, you can't exercise.'"
Rhodes continues, "Cardiac rehabilitation is not a component of most pediatric cardiology programs."
Through all the testing none of the kids' results deemed the exercise testing negatively affecting their health.
Rhodes says, "One game they particularly enjoyed was 'punch the doctor'" Referring to a game in which children threw punches at pieces of matting. "A lot of the kids were timid in the beginning, but they were really moving by the end. Being with other kids with heart disease who had never exercised helped melt away a lot of their anxiety. It was quite a metamorphosis."
Rhodes's team also conducted follow-up exercise testing 1 year after the pre-program tests. The results, showed that participants' cardiac benefits were sustained, whereas non-participating children showed a slight decline in cardiac function.
