title: Challenges in trying to implement an early intervention program for infants with congenital heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe challenges in trying to implement a physical therapy-based early intervention program for infants with congenital heart disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Neonates with cyanotic congenital heart disease who had elective or emergency cardiac surgery at age 28 days or less participated in the study. Families were offered hospital-based physical therapy intervention from infant age of 3 months. Feasibility and efficacy of intervention were to be evaluated at 8 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Study recruitment was protracted and then stopped. Anticipated sample size was limited by survival (86%) and recruitment rates (75%); cardiorespiratory and neurological complications led to lengthy admissions, precluding study participation. In addition, geographic constraints and families' general take-up of the services offered limited ability of those recruited to receive intervention at planned frequency and intensity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, data collected demonstrated infeasibility to evaluate effectiveness of hospital-based physical therapy intervention for this cohort of infants. Nonetheless, valuable data were gathered about factors leading to nonparticipation.
authors.affiliation: Heart Research Group (Drs Long and Cheung), Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Physiotherapy (Dr Eldridge), Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Physiotherapy (Dr Eldridge), Melbourne School of Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Physical Therapy (Dr Harris), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Cardiology (Dr Cheung), Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics (Dr Cheung), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Suzanne H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Beverley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Eldridge
authors.forename: Susan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Michael M H
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Cheung
mesh_terms: D061345:Early Medical Intervention / Q000379:methods*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D012307:Risk Factors