Objective exercise tolerance

Patients with congenital heart defects experience three phases in the illness and in the process of coping with it: at the beginning there is the phase of diagnosis with the shocking news for parents and relatives that the child has a CHD. This is followed by the phase of operation and/or medical recompensation, after which the family can relax. During the long-term care of the patient and relatives there arise questions like: What is the situation of our child? What is my situation as an adult patient in comparison to healthy individuals of my age?

This study of objective exercise tolerance aims to provide consistent information for the patients, their relatives and the treating physicians. For this purpose the exercise tolerance of the patients is tested by bicycle testing and treadmill exercising and by measuring the area covered during 6 minutes of walking on the flat.

The tests will be carried out using the same methods in all hospitals of the network. Thus the objective exercise tolerance can be established taking into account each patient's age, the nature of the heart defect, the timing and kind of operations, interventions or medicinal therapy and the right heart function.

The aim of this project is to give the treating physician information about the success of the therapy with regard to the patient's everyday life. Likewise, adult patients and the parents of children and teenagers with a congenital heart defect will receive an objective and realistic assessment of their physical tolerance in terms of everyday activities i.e. school, choice of work training and profession, and leisure activities.