United States: The first patient to go through their new cardiac fitness program was a young guy named Ethan Delcid, who was born with a congenital heart condition.
Hope for Families
According to doctors, his improvement provides families hoping for a healthy outcome for their child hope. Children with congenital heart disease are prescribed exercise by physicians at Primary Children’s Hospital.
Five years old Despite having a congenital cardiac disease from birth, Delcid is a lively, playful, and humorous child. His right half of the heart was still developing.
Ethan’s Journey
“He has spent his entire life in and out of the hospital,” Ethan’s mother, Yannin Delcid, stated. Up until the age of four, a life-saving operation kept his heart beating. He became ill and had to wait for a heart transplant while wearing a ventricular assist device.
Unique Challenges
Ethan would be in the hospital for more than a year. His mother was unable to watch him suffer.
It was difficult enough for him to raise his head, she remarked.
She was concerned that Ethan, lying in a hospital bed all day, might become restless. With the Primary Children’s cardiac team, everything was different. They used aerobics to get him moving.
Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Dan Ziebell works at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital and University of Utah Health.
Innovative Approach
Ziebell asserted, “No medication can accomplish all the benefits that exercise can.” His team works Ethan’s muscles, flexibility, and cerebral abilities with a variety of workouts.
Exercise physiologist Jessica Pavlock stated, “It looks a lot like play, but when we get down to it, it’s working all of his muscle groups.” Even with the VAD on, Ethan has completed the task.
“We were able to gradually build his aerobic capacity over several months,” Ziebell stated. Ethan received a heart transplant in November. He was released two weeks later.
Hope Renewed
According to Dr. Ziebell, the strength training was quite beneficial.
“Considering everything he’s been through, he plays like a typical 5-year-old. It’s amazing,” he remarked.
“A miracle has occurred here. It is such a blessing that he is here with me.
She is appreciative of Primary’s offerings, such as painting and music therapy, which helped him feel like a typical child.
“To me, they are family.” She’s prepared for Ethan to accept his next step.
“I wish to present the world to him.” Beyond the hospital, there is more to the world,” she remarked. The program for cardiac fitness has been extremely popular. There is currently a waiting list. To help patients who live far away or have difficulty traveling to the hospital, they intend to launch a telemedicine program.