[Early rehabilitation and cardiorespiratory response in children after correction of congenital heart defects].
BACKGROUND
Significant improvement in survival and quality of life in patients after the correction of congenital heart defects was enabled by the introduction of surgical procedures. Due to increased vulnerability in the period after defect correction, early rehabilitation have found its place in recovery. Various studies suggest good effects of a rehabilitation programme especially in the early rehabilitation period.


OBJECTIVE
In our study we wanted to stress the importance of early rehabilitation as well as its effects of implementation.


METHODS
We evaluated the children treated at the University Children's Hospital during a four-year period. All participants were divided into two groups according to age: the first group included children up to the age of one year, and the second group included those from the first till the third year of life. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of complications. We monitored children with 4 types of congenital heart defects: Tetralogy of Fallot, Transposition of the Great Arteries, Coarctation of the Aorta and Stenosis of the Aorta. All exercises were implemented twice daily. Out of the pulmonary system parameters we monitored saturation of oxygen during the entire programme. Other parameters that were evaluated were: heart rate, ECG and breathing frequency.


RESULTS
In the children with corrected defects, the most frequent complication was athelectasis especially in the group of patients till the first year of life. The patients with the onset of complications had a longer rehabilitation programme. Saturation of oxygen at the end of the programme was significantly elevated.


CONCLUSIONS
From the above-mentioned it can be concluded that individual rehabilitation assessment for every patient is needed. Early rehabilitation measures give sustained effects of well-being after completion of the programme.
Petronić
Ivana
I
Milincić
Zeljka
Z
Nikolić
Dejan
D
Cirović
Dragana
D
Ilić
Slobodan
S
Parezanović
Vojislav
V
Radlović
Vladimir
V
Knezević
Tatjana
T
Pavićević
Polina
P
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant