Children born with heart defects who have
traditionally been told not to exercise can improve their
heart function through programs that involve exertion,
according to a recent study published.
"With the approval of a pediatric cardiologist, and after
careful exercise testing, exercise is generally safe and
tolerable for children with congenital heart defects,"
said Jonathan Rhodes, a cardiologist at Children's Hospital
in Boston who led the study.
The report said 15 of 16 children ages 8 to 17 who underwent
a three-month rehabilitation program showed significant
gains in heart function.
"These kids haven't exercised much. They've been told
by coaches, doctors, parents and teachers, 'Oh, you can't
exercise,"' Rhodes said. "Cardiac rehabilitation is not
a component of most pediatric cardiology programs."
He said his hospital plans to open a formal cardiac rehabilitation
program for children in 2006 or 2007.
The study's exercise program involved twice-weekly, hourlong
sessions of stretching, aerobics and light weight-resistance
exercises and included dance, calisthenics, kickboxing,
jump rope, races and games.
All 16 children who completed the program had heart surgery
or a nonsurgical procedure, and 11 of 16 had only one
functional heart pumping chamber, meaning they were a
"sick group," Rhodes said.
When the program was finished, 15 of the 16 children
had significantly improved heart function, with the organ
pumping more blood with each beat, delivering more oxygen.
The study was published in the December issue of Pediatrics,
the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The report said congenital heart defects affect about
eight of every 1,000 newborns in the United States.
