Researchers are working to determine whether previously disapproved exercise is actually the key to improving life expectancy of half a heart and single-ventricle congenital heart disease patients.
Until recently, those with half a heart, single-ventricle congenital heart disease (Fontan-CHD), and other birth-defects pertaining to the heart were told not to exercise for fear of putting too much strain on their heart. But now researchers are flipping that notion on its head.
Dr Derek Tran is Senior Exercise Physiologist at the Heart Research Institute and Co-ordinator of a new Congenital Heart Fitness Intervention Trial (CH-FIT) that is working to determine whether regular exercise could be the key to improving the life expectancy of CHD patients.
“The CH-FIT exercise program will look at whether aerobic and resistance training can improve heart function, lung growth, fitness, and ultimately life expectancy for people with CHD,” says Dr Tran.
“We want to see if improving fitness is a key marker to an improvement in quality of life. It’s also about giving people the confidence of knowing they can exercise on their own.”
The program is initiating a world-first study to test the exercise theory, recruiting around 400 people between the ages of 10 and 55 years. It will be the largest randomised controlled trial in this cohort.
The trial
The program is expected to run for four months. Recruiters will initially participate in 60 minutes of low to moderate intensity exercise three times a week, gradually increasing intensity as the program progresses.
They’ll work in either small groups or one-on-one with HRI exercise physiologists in local partnered gyms, with those living rurally will use a combination of a telehealth services and a tailored at home exercise programs. Researchers will be carefully studying the impact exercise has on their physical and psychological wellbeing throughout.
Dr Tran said the benefits of exercise to the general population are widely known, but it’s not known what effect exercise can have on those with CHD.
Emerging research suggests exercising could be more important for people with even the most complex types of CHD, because it has special effects on the circulation. This is potentially life-changing, as those with CHD are discouraged from exercise, meaning they’re nowhere near meeting their physical activity recommendations and are inevitably at a higher risk of developing obesity.
This could also be life-changing for children who have been unable to participate in activities as simple as playing tag with their friends due to the risks involved. Children will be free to be… well, children.
“There is hardly any research to understand the true impact of exercise on these special circulations and how to safely implement exercise training,” said Leading HRI cardiologist Assoc Prof Rachael Cordina.
“Historically, people with CHD were not expected to survive to adulthood, and exercise was discouraged fearing too much stress on the heart.
“A whole generation of children has grown up consciously not exercising, putting themselves at risk of obesity through their inactivity.”
The new research gives approximately 1,600 people living with Fontan-CHD (“half a heart”) and over 100,000 living with other types of complex CHD in Australia and New Zealand hope.
“It’s a hope for a bright future that we just didn’t have in the past,” said Assoc Prof Cordina. “I think that’s the most empowering thing science can do.”
