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Cardiac Fitness and Congenital Heart Defects

Ages 5 - 24 Years

If you or your child has a congenital heart defect (CHD), you likely have questions about exercise. You might wonder what kind of exercise is safe, and how much. You might even wonder if it is safer to stay still. A cardiac fitness program may be able to help. These programs help people with heart defects to recover from illnesses or surgeries, and to establish a safe and sustainable exercise routine.

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In this section

The importance of exercise Talking to a doctor Cardiac fitness programs You might also like:

The importance of exercise

Most people with heart defects can and should exercise throughout their lives. Staying active can help people with heart defects:

Keep their bodies healthy and strong
Keep their hearts as healthy as possible
Be happier and calmer
Feel confident
Appreciate their bodies
Make friends
Be part of a team
Have fun

Talking to a doctor

When a young person has a heart defect, it is important for their family to understand if, how, and how much they can exercise. Families can talk with a doctor about:

If they have any exercise restrictions
If so, what the exercise restrictions are
If they should exercise
What kinds of exercise are recommended
Any particular benefits or risks associated with certain types of exercise

Once families understand how their child can exercise, then they can help their child to stay active and healthy.

Cardiac fitness programs

Some young people with heart defects do not get as much exercise as doctors recommend. This can be for many reasons. People with heart defects may not exercise because they:

Feel scared when their heartbeat increases
Are often tired
Have less strength or coordination than their peers
Are recovering from a surgery or illness
Do not feel confident that they can exercise safely
Do not know how to exercise
Feel embarrassed when they try to exercise
Have not found an exercise they enjoy

Some hospitals have cardiac fitness programs that can help people with heart defects get into a safe fitness routine. These programs are usually covered by insurance. Cardiac fitness programs are supervised by a cardiologist. They carefully monitor participants to help them learn to get in shape safely. Before they finish a program, the participants develop a plan to continue staying safely active in the future.

Families who worry about their child’s exercise can ask their doctors if there is a cardiac fitness program in their area. Look below to learn more about cardiac fitness, and to find information about cardiac fitness for professionals.

This content was reviewed by a cardiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Developmental care is best when it is local. Families local to Boston can receive care from the Boston Cardiac Fitness Program or the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program (CNP). Families from other regions can use the link below to find their local care team.

References

Cassidy, A. R., Butler, S. C., Briend, J., Calderon, J., Casey, F., Crosby, L. E., ... & Butcher, J. L. (2021). Neurodevelopmental and psychosocial interventions for individuals with CHD: a research agenda and recommendations from the Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Outcome Collaborative. Cardiology in the Young, 31(6), 888-899.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8429097/

Gauthier, N., Curran, T., O’Neill, J. A., Alexander, M. E., & Rhodes, J. (2020). Establishing a comprehensive pediatric cardiac fitness and rehabilitation program for congenital heart disease. Pediatric Cardiology, 41, 1569-1579.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00246-020-02413-z

Qu, J., Shi, H., Chen, X., Li, K., Liang, H., & Cui, Y. (2020, December). Evaluation of physical fitness in children with congenital heart diseases versus healthy population. In Seminars in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 906-915). WB Saunders.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1043067920301416

Rhodes, J., Curran, T. J., Camil, L., Rabideau, N., Fulton, D. R., Gauthier, N. S., ... & Jenkins, K. J. (2005). Impact of cardiac rehabilitation on the exercise function of children with serious congenital heart disease. Pediatrics, 116(6), 1339-1345.https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=1b0f314fe31232592e83cc26bb3fe3080109d9e7

Rhodes, J., Curran, T. J., Camil, L., Rabideau, N., Fulton, D. R., Gauthier, N. S., ... & Jenkins, K. J. (2006). Sustained effects of cardiac rehabilitation in children with serious congenital heart disease. Pediatrics, 118(3), e586-e593./hhttps://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/118/3/e586/69339/Sustained-Effects-of-Cardiac-Rehabilitation-in

RRhodes, J., Ubeda Tikkanen, A., & Jenkins, K. J. (2010). Exercise testing and training in children with congenital heart disease. Circulation, 122(19), 1957-1967.https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.958025

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