Background: Physical development of children is an important indicator of health. The study aimed to evaluate the dynamics of physical development indicators of children with functional single ventricle heart disease at the individual stages of physical rehabilitation.
Methods: A group of 35 patients aged 6 to 14 years was examined during hospitalization; 31 of them underwent follow-up examinations after completion of the full course of physical rehabilitation. The following indicators were measured: the body weight, height, chest circumference, body surface area, and Rohrer index.
Results: We did not find significant differences between the groups of boys and girls of the same age. A substantial share of children with functional single ventricle was characterized by reduced body weight, which was reflected by the distribution of Rohrer index, where the percentage of children with low values was 31.5%. After completion of the course of physical rehabilitation, the indicators of physical development were statistically improved and the share of children with low values of the Rohrer index decreased to 16.1%.
Conclusions: Physical therapy positively affects the physical development of children with functional single ventricle heart disease.
Dynamics of physical development of children with functional single ventricle heart disease at the individual stages of physical rehabilitation
Published in 21(4) Keywords: congenital heart disease, functional single ventricle, physical development, physical therapy, rehabilitation
