Introduction
Congenital heart disease, congenital disease, CHD
CONGENITAL DISEASE, DISEASES
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital disease in newborns; it is caused by abnormal development of the heart and/or large blood vessels in the fetus and includes heart wall, valve, and vascular malformationsAn active lifestyle is critical to the long-term health of patients with CHD. The current treatment of such patients no longer aims solely at short-term survival, however, the aim is long-term physical health, development, and well-beingThe Cochrane studyThe cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) has been increasingly used to preoperatively evaluate various diseases and treatment effects and formulate rehabilitation prescriptions, as it can evaluate exercise physiology, reflect the multisystem functions of the body in real-time during exercise, and objectively evaluate the patients’ cardiovascular functionIn cases where CPET is not feasible, such as inpatient settings or immediate postoperative period, the 6‑min walk test (6-MWT) is an alternative measure of cardiorespiratory endurance that has also been applied as the basis of function-based prognostic assessmentTherefore, this study used device-based objective assessments and interventions to explore the characteristics of growth, development, and cardiorespiratory endurance of children with CHD in plateau areas. It evaluated the effect of an early exercise intervention after cardiac repair on the exercise capacity and cardiorespiratory endurance of these children. Ultimately, our aims were achieved.