Physical performance capacity (PPC) of pediatric heart transplant (HT) recipients is reportedly low to normal, and longitudinal follow-up of these patients is recommended. However, no recommendation for a follow-up method is available. In this study, the correlation between the 6-min walk test (6MWT), various clinical parameters, and a physical performance test set was evaluated to develop a simple follow-up tool for PPC.

Fifteen pediatric HT patients and 392 historical controls were tested at a median age of 15.4 years. PPC was tested with a 6MWT and a physical performance test set consisting of six different components assessing muscle endurance, strength, speed, and flexibility.

Controls outperformed recipients across all test domains except the leg lift and sit-and-reach test. The 6MWT distance correlated well with the physical performance test set results; the correlations were with leg lift (rs = 0.622, p = <0.05), repeated squatting (rs = 0.851, p = <0.001, sit-up (rs = 0.738, p = <0.05), back extension (rs = 0.747, p ≤ 0.001), and total physical performance capacity (rs = 0.873, p = <0.001). Indexed 6MWT results or total physical performance capacity set had no statistically significant associations with any of the clinical parameters tested.

Our study supports recent findings suggesting that the 6MWT is a suitable method for longitudinal follow-up in children with HT. We recommend performing the 6MWT annually in these patients, to be used to motivate and encourage them to enhance their physical activity.

Musculoskeletal strength can be impaired in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients. Exercise training programs can be beneficial but in-person delivery can be challenging; virtual exercise programs can alleviate some of these challenges. This feasibility study aimed to deliver an 8-week virtual exercise program in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients.

Program delivery occurred 3 times per week for 30 minutes. An exercise stress test was completed prior to program start. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency strength subtest and self-report surveys were used to assess musculoskeletal strength, quality of life, fatigue, and physical activity. Contact was maintained through a text messaging platform. Z scores were calculated using standardized normative data. Medians (interquartile range) are reported for all other data.

Eleven participants completed the program (2 liver, 5 kidney, 4 heart; 58% females; median age = 11.5 [10.3-13.8] y). Six participants attended ≥60% of classes, 5 participants attended <50% of classes. After 8 weeks, strength scores improved (Z score, Pre: -1.0 [-1.65 to -0.60] to Post: -0.2 [-1.30 to 0.40]; P = .007) with no change in other outcome measures.

The virtual exercise program was delivered without technical issues and received positive participant feedback. Engagement and costs need to be considered.

Nutrition assessment can be challenging in children with end-stage organ disease and in those requiring an organ transplant. The effect of poor nutrition status can exert long-lasting effects on children with end-stage organ disease requiring transplantation. Malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty are conditions that require provision of optimal nutrition to prevent or support the treatment of these conditions. Unfortunately, the literature on the assessment of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty in pediatric end-stage organ disease is scarce, thus leading to confusion on how to effectively identify them. Recently, the addition of a variety of validated nutrition and functional assessment techniques has assisted with appropriate assessment of these conditions. The objective of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the current literature for pediatric assessment of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty in the setting of solid organ transplantation and provide practicing nutrition clinicians a solid foundation for learning how to effectively assess these conditions with the current literature available.

In adult transplant (Tx) populations, exercise rehabilitation strategies may improve sarcopenia components (muscle mass [MM], strength [MS], and physical performance [PP]). Limited data are available regarding exercise rehabilitation therapy in pediatric Tx populations.

The purpose of this review is to critically evaluate the feasibility and impact of exercise programs (EP) that include resistance exercise (RE) on markers of sarcopenia in pediatric Tx populations. Literature searches in SCOPUS and WEB OF SCIENCE were conducted to identify studies applying EP with a RE component in pediatric populations in the Tx setting.

Twelve articles (2008-2022) met inclusion criteria. The exercise interventions varied in length (3 weeks-12 months), intensity (low to moderate), time pre/post Tx (0 days-5 years post Tx), age of participants (3-18 years), adherence (63%-94%), and methodologies to measure components of sarcopenia. No studies measured all three components of sarcopenia concurrently. Approximately, 60% of studies found positive effects on MS and PP. Only one pediatric study measured body composition, therefore, the effect of exercise programs with RE components on MM is unknown.

Exercise programs may be a beneficial treatment for sarcopenia in Tx populations, particularly in components of MS and PP. Studies measuring all three aspects of sarcopenia together in response to RE training in pediatrics remains an important gap. Studies that include body composition measurements in response to exercise are needed. Special considerations for the development of RE programs in pediatrics Tx populations are safety, supervision, engagement through family/peer involvement and incorporation of game/play-based elements.

Paediatric heart transplant recipients (HTRs) have reduced exercise capacity, physical activity (PA), health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and self-efficacy towards PA. Exercise interventions have demonstrated improvements in exercise capacity and functional status in adult HTRs, with a specific emerging interest in the role of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Studies of exercise interventions in paediatric HTRs have been limited and nonrandomized to date. HIIT has not yet been evaluated in paediatric HTRs. We thus seek to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a randomized crossover trial of a 12-week, home-based, video game-linked HIIT intervention using a cycle ergometer with telemedicine and remote physiological monitoring capabilities (MedBIKE) in paediatric HTRs. The secondary objective is to evaluate the impact of the intervention on (1) exercise capacity, (2) PA, (3) HRQoL and self-efficacy towards PA, and (4) sustained changes in secondary outcomes at 6 and 12 months after intervention. After a baseline assessment of the secondary outcomes, participants will be randomized to receive the MedBIKE intervention (12 weeks, 36 sessions) or usual care. After the intervention and a repeated assessment, all participants will cross over. Follow-up assessments will be administered at 6 and 12 months after the MedBIKE intervention. We anticipate that the MedBIKE intervention will be feasible and safely yield sustained improvements in exercise capacity, PA, HRQoL, and self-efficacy towards PA in paediatric HTRs. This study will serve as the foundation for a larger, multicentre randomized crossover trial and will help inform exercise rehabilitation programmes for paediatric HTRs.

To refine a cardiac rehabilitation pathway for pediatric heart transplant recipients; assess clinician knowledge and adherence to the program; and evaluate patient outcomes.

The center has utilized a rehabilitation pathway for pediatric heart transplant recipients. Challenges in practice include access to centers, lack of data tracing, and adherence to the pathway. The quality initiative focused on program refinements: implementation of text templates to improve data collection, collection of the Pediatric Cardiac Quality of Life Inventory (PCQLI), Functional Independence Measure (WeeFIM) and Child Occupational Self-Assessment (COSA), development of an outreach program, and creation of an educational program for therapists to increase content knowledge and improve clinician satisfaction.

In the evaluation of rehabilitation follow-up post-transplant, there was no statistical significance between the pre- and post-implementation groups. After the implementation of the refined pathway, there was an increase in the completion of the six-minute walk test post-transplant (p = 0.048). Clinicians' responses post educational session noted familiarity with the pathway (88%), documentation (78.8%), and outcome measures (97%). Results of outcomes noted improvement in six-minute walk distances and a decrease in the rate of perceived exertion post-transplant. To ensure future pathway adherence, clinical support should be implemented, and key players identified to maintain sustainability.

Patients with CHD are less active if compared with controls and have limited functional capacity, related to muscle weakness and fatigue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the peripheral and respiratory muscle strength of children and adolescents with CHD with systematic review and meta-analysis. The review included observational and randomised control trial studies which evaluated peripheral and respiratory muscle strength in children and adolescents with CHD under 18 years old. The peripheral muscle strength was evaluated through dynamometry and respiratory muscle strength through manovacuometry. In studies that compared patients with CHD and respective control groups, it was possible to perform a meta-analysis. A total of 5634 articles met the criteria of eligibility, 15 were included in the systematic review, and 4 were included in the meta-analysis. Twelve studies assessed peripheral muscle strength with a reduction in patients with CHD. In the meta-analysis, patients with CHD had lower muscle strength than controls (-34.07 nm; 95% CI, -67.46 to -0.68; I2 47%; p for heterogeneity = 0.05), and the meta-analysis of the handgrip muscle strength showed no significant difference between patients with CHD and controls (0.08 nm; 95% CI, -6.39 to 6.55; I2 98%; p for heterogeneity <0.00001). The meta-analysis in the present study  showed lower limb muscle strength in patients with CHD in comparison to controls. In contrast, no difference was found regarding hand grip strength. Also, the review showed lower respiratory muscle strength in patients with CHD, yet no meta-analysis was possible to perform.

Low physical activity is a well-recognized problem in pediatric solid organ transplant recipients; however, little is known about the differences between transplant groups. Physical performance testing was performed in a cohort of pediatric kidney, liver, and heart transplant recipients.

Fifty-one patients (54.9% boys), including 17 liver, 20 kidney, 2 combined liver-kidney, and 12 heart transplant recipients, were tested at the median age of 11.5 (7.5-14.9) years. The results were compared with a control group, which consisted of 425 healthy schoolchildren. The physical performance test included six different tests of endurance, strength, flexibility, and speed.

The transplant recipients performed worse on most tests when compared with the control subjects (leg-lift test 42.0 vs. 44.9 repetitions, p = .002; repeated squatting 21.6 vs. 23.9 repetitions, p < .001; sit-up test 9 vs. 17 vs. 9 repetitions, p < .001, back extension 20 vs. 35 repetitions, p < .001; and shuttle run test 26.5 vs. 23.7 seconds, p < .001). None of the test results differed statistically significantly between the transplant groups.

The physical performance of pediatric solid organ transplant recipients is lower than that of their healthy peers but do not differ between different transplant groups. More systematic rehabilitation programs and follow-up are needed.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a cornerstone of management for patients after lung transplantation (LT), but the benefits of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) after LT in children are unclear. Therefore, we examined whether IMT can improve respiratory function and dyspnoea in a paediatric patient after LT.The patient was a 13-year-old boy who underwent double LT. However, mild physical activity such as walking triggered dyspnoea for the patient. The patient underwent IMT with the intensity of approximately 30% of his maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) for 2 months.The patient's MIP was increased by approximately 60% after 2 months, and his forced vital capacity as a percent of the predicted normal value increased from 74.6% to 83.4%, with improvement of dyspnoea.IMT may help improve dyspnoea after LT in children with respiratory muscle weakness and a decline in respiratory function.

Survival of pediatric patients with heart failure has improved due to medical and surgical advances over the past decades. The complexity of pediatric heart transplant patients has increased as medical and surgical management for patients with congenital heart disease continues to improve. Quality of life in patients with heart failure and transplant might be affected by the impact on functional status that heart failure, heart failure complications or treatment might have. Functional areas affected might be motor, exercise capacity, feeding, speech and/or cognition. The goal of rehabilitation is to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. Some of these rehabilitation interventions such as exercise training have been extensively evaluated in adults with heart failure. Literature in the pediatric population is limited yet promising. The use of additional rehabilitation interventions geared toward specific complications experienced by patients with heart failure or heart transplant are potentially helpful. The use of individualized multidisciplinary rehabilitation program that includes medical management, rehabilitation equipment and the use of physical, occupational, speech and feeding therapies can help improve the quality of life of patients with heart failure and transplant.

Pediatric recipients of life-saving organ transplants are living longer, with improved graft and overall survivals. After successful transplant, children are encouraged to return to "normal life," with school attendance and participation in age-appropriate physical activities. This transition may cause stress to the recipients, parents, teachers, and other participating caregivers and staff. Planning for school reentry and assuring education for and open lines of communication with the school staff can help alleviate some of this discomfort and ease the process for the patient and the family. Cardiovascular disease has emerged as the leading cause of death in survivors of pediatric transplantation and is contributed to by modifiable risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, and the MS. Physical activity is a proven tool in decreasing surrogate markers of this risk. Sports participation is an important way to promote an enjoyment of physical activity that can ideally persist into adulthood, but conflicting advice and opinions exist regarding type and participation in physical activity. Moreover, specific recommendations are likely not applicable to all recipients, as certain degrees of rehabilitation may be needed depending on degree and length of illness. In general, a program of rehabilitation and increased physical activity has been shown to be safe and effective for most pediatric transplant recipients. Focusing on optimizing the "normal" childhood activities of going to school and participating in sports can improve the physical, social, cognitive, and mental health outcomes of this population after transplant and should be prioritized.

Pediatric HTs account for 13% of all HTs with >60% of recipients surviving at least 10 years post-HT. The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize the literature on exercise capacity of pediatric HT recipients to improve understanding of the mechanisms that may explain the decreased exercise capacity. Six databases were searched for studies that compared the exercise capacity of HT recipients ≤21 years old with a control group or normative data. Sixteen studies were included. Pediatric HT recipients, as compared to controls or normative data, exhibit significantly higher resting HR, and at peak exercise exhibit significantly decreased HR, VO₂ , power, work, minute ventilation, and exercise duration. Peak VO₂ appears to improve within the first 2.5 years post-HT; peak work remains constant; and there is inconclusive evidence that peak HR, HR recovery, and HR reserve improve with time since HT. These results are discussed in the context of the mechanisms that may explain the impaired exercise capacity of pediatric HT recipients, including chronotropic incompetence, graft dysfunction, side effects of immunosuppression therapy, and deconditioning. In addition, the limited literature on rehabilitation after pediatric HT is summarized.

Physical rehabilitation of lung transplant candidates and recipients plays an important in optimizing physical function prior to transplant and facilitating recovery of function post-transplant. As medical and surgical interventions in lung transplantation have evolved over time, there has been a demographic shift of individuals undergoing lung transplantation including older individuals, those with multiple co-morbidites, and candidates with respiratory failure requiring bridging to transplantation. These changes have an impact on the rehabilitation needs of lung transplant candidates and recipients. This review provides a practical approach to rehabilitation based on research and clinical practice at our transplant centre. It focuses on functional assessment and exercise prescription during an uncomplicated and complicated clinical course in the pre-transplant, early and late post-transplant periods. The target audience includes clinicians involved in pre- and post-transplant patient care and rehabilitation researchers.

Physiotherapy management is a key element of care for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) throughout the lifespan. Although considerable evidence exists to support physiotherapy management of CF, there is documented variation in practice. The aim of this guideline is to optimize the physiotherapy management of people with CF in Australia and New Zealand. A systematic review of the literature in key areas of physiotherapy practice for CF was undertaken. Recommendations were formulated based on National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) guidelines and considered the quality, quantity and level of the evidence; the consistency of the body of evidence; the likely clinical impact; and applicability to physiotherapy practice in Australia and New Zealand. A total of 30 recommendations were made for airway clearance therapy, inhalation therapy, exercise assessment and training, musculoskeletal management, management of urinary incontinence, managing the newly diagnosed patient with CF, delivery of non-invasive ventilation, and physiotherapy management before and after lung transplantation. These recommendations can be used to underpin the provision of evidence-based physiotherapy care to people with CF in Australia and New Zealand.

The health benefits of PA are well established for healthy and chronically ill children. This study objectively measures physical fitness and PA levels in children PLT and explores potential correlates and perceived barriers impacting their PA. A total of 23 children (16 females, mean 14.01 ± 2.49 yrs) >1 yr PLT were assessed for peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak), muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility. MVPA and steps/day were determined with accelerometry. Additionally, SE, perceived fatigue, and barriers and benefits of PA were examined. VO2 peak (mean 33. 2 ± 7.61 mL/kg/min; 77.0 ± 15.6% predicted) and PA (average 6841 ± 2299 steps/day) were below healthy norms. MVPA (31.6 ± 16.1 min/day) was lower than national guidelines. Six participants (30%) attained criterion standards for abdominal strength and one participant (5%) for push-ups. Fatigue and SE were lower than reported levels in healthy children. A commonly perceived barrier to PA was "I am tired." A positive correlation was shown between SE and MVPA (r = 0.57, p = 0.007), SE and fatigue (r = 0.54, p = 0.01), and PELD score and fatigue (r = 0.66, p = 0.007). Children PLT demonstrate below normal levels of PA and aerobic capacity. SE is a modifiable correlate of their PA. Further investigation of the impact of PA correlates can guide the development of future innovative PA intervention strategies in children PLT.

To determine whether participation in early cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after heart transplant (HTx) affects long-term survival.

A retrospective review was conducted in 201 patients who underwent HTx at Mayo Clinic between June 1, 2000, and July 31, 2013. Patients were excluded with multiorgan transplant, no CR data, and follow-up less than 90 days after HTx. Demographic and exercise data at baseline before HTx were collected. Post-HTx exercise capacity, biopsy, CR data, and medications were collected at 1 through 5 and 10 years.

Overall survival at 1, 5, and 10 years was 98%, 88%, and 82%, respectively; 29 patients died. Number of CR sessions attended in the first 90 days after HTx predicted survival in multivariate regression, controlling for baseline post-HTx 6-minute walk test (6MWT) results and rejection episodes (hazard ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82-0.97; P=.007). Additional univariate predictors of survival included pre-HTx 6MWT results, weight at HTx, and body mass index and systolic blood pressure at CR enrollment. Pre-HTx 6MWT results, body mass index, and post-HTx were associated with improvement in peak oxygen consumption.

This report demonstrates, for the first time, an association between CR and long-term survival in patients after HTx. Further work should clarify the most beneficial aspects of CR.

This prospective, interventional study examined the impact of training for the WTG on levels of health-related physical fitness and habitual activity in a cohort of pediatric SOT recipients. Physical fitness (FitnessGram(®) ) and habitual activity (HAES) measures were performed on participants (n = 19) in the WTG and compared to non-participant controls (n = 14) prior to and following the WTG. Pre-WTG exercise training was provided to participants. Participants demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in their habitual weekday (6.1 ± 1.7 to 8.5 ± 1.9 h; p = 0.002) and weekend (6.3 ± 2.6 to 8.4 ± 2.5 h; p = 0.01) activity over the training period, while controls improved weekday activity only (6.3 ± 2.0 to 8.3 ± 2.1 h; p = 0.05. Weekend activity: 7.7 ± 2.7 to 8.3 ± 2.3 h; p = 0.68). Participants demonstrated a non-statistical improvement in select physical fitness parameters; however, a greater number of participants achieved healthy criterion standards for cardiovascular fitness (2 vs. 1), abdominal strength (5 vs. 3), and upper body strength (7 vs. 3) following training and participating in the WTG. The WTG can provide a positive incentive for greater levels of physical activity and promote improvements in physical fitness levels. Further study is needed to examine long-term impact on lifestyle changes and health outcomes.