Acute Effects of Virtual Reality Exergame on Vascular Function in Children and Adolescents with Congenital Heart Disease: A Single-Arm Trial

Purpose: Regular aerobic exercise improves exercise capacity and quality of life in children with congenital heart disease (CHD), but it remains unclear whether aerobic exercise would improve vascular function in children with CHD.We tested the hypothesis that acute bout of virtual reality (VR) exergame would improve vascular function in children with CHD.Methods: In a single-arm study, eight children (age, 9±1 years; five males) with CHD participated in VR exergame (30 minutes at 40% of heart rate reserve) using a stationary cycle ergometer with a head mount display.Endothelial function and arterial stiffness as surrogate markers of vascular function were assessed via reactive hyperemia index (RHI) and augmentation index (AIx) using peripheral arterial tonometry at baseline and 30 minutes after VR exergame.Results: Compared to baseline, VR exergame improved in ] to 1.16 [1.09-1.36],p＜ 0.05) and natural log transformed RHI (0.07 [-0.04-0.26] to 0.15 [0.09-0.31],p＜ 0.05).However, no significant changes were observed for decrease AIx (-1.00 [-9.00-9.50] to -7.00 [-14.00-8.75],p=0.547) and AIx@75 (-6.50 [9.75-3.50] to -4.50 [-13.00-4.50],p=0.735) (all index values are reported as median [interquartile range]).Conclusion: These findings suggest that a single bout of VR exergame has the potential to improve vascular endothelial function in children with CHD.