A four-year-old girl named Sienna is making history as one of the first pediatric patients in the world to undergo structured cardiac rehabilitation workouts while connected to a ventricular assistive device (VAD) that helps keep her heart beating.
Sienna was born with a congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which led to severe heart failure. Despite two open heart surgeries, she developed further complications. To keep her alive, cardiac surgeons implanted the VAD in Sienna to help her weakened heart pump blood to her body while waiting for a heart organ transplant.
The introduction of cardiac rehabilitation has transformed Sienna’s life, enabling her to regain energy and strength. Under the guidance of exercise physiologists, Sienna began with gentle walks and gradually progressed to more intense exercises, including running through hospital halls and pushing toy shopping carts filled with weights.
Sienna’s progress is a testament to the medical advances at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, which is helping young heart patients survive and thrive. The nationally ranked Heart Center at the hospital is one of the few programs in the nation that offers cardiac rehabilitation to children like Sienna.
The benefits of cardiac rehabilitation for children with heart disease are clear: it improves muscular strength, aerobic capacity, and physical performance, while also supporting their physical and mental health. With regular exercise sessions, Sienna is now an energetic child who laughs and sings while climbing hospital stairs, ready to face the future with a bright outlook.
Her mother praises the Cardiac Rehab program, saying it has allowed Sienna to have a wonderful quality of life during her prolonged 755-day hospital stay. The team’s dedication and outstanding care have been instrumental in preparing Sienna for her upcoming heart transplant, giving her the best chance at a healthy recovery.
Source: https://news.intermountainhealth.org/young-patient-at-intermountain-primary-childrens-hospital-is-one-of-worlds-first-to-receive-cardiac-rehab-workouts-while-device-helps-her-heart-pump