Rehabilitation in a Pediatric Patient Who Underwent Correction Surgery for Tetralogy of Fallot: A Case Report

Sanjivani S Bangde; Vaishnavi M Thakre; Tejaswini Fating; Aditi Dandekar

doi:10.7759/cureus.50442

December 13, 2023CureusOpen Access

Rehabilitation in a Pediatric Patient Who Underwent Correction Surgery for Tetralogy of Fallot: A Case Report

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Why the study?

Does a cardiorespiratory rehabilitation program improve functional recovery in a pediatric patient post-correction surgery for Tetralogy of Fallot?

Structured PICO

Does a cardiorespiratory rehabilitation program improve functional recovery in a pediatric patient post-correction surgery for Tetralogy of Fallot?

P

Population

5-year-old female patient with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and hypoplastic pulmonary artery stenosis, post-transannular RVOT patch surgery.

I

Intervention

Cardiorespiratory rehabilitation program including positioning, thoracic compressions, chest percussion, vibrations, ambulation, pursed lip breathing, thoracic expansion exercises, and active range of motion exercises.

O

Outcome

Improvement in functional ability, removal of airway secretions, and return of cardiovascular function measured by Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) Questionnaire, NYHA Dyspnoea Scale, Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale, and arterial blood gas analysis.patient reported

A structured cardiorespiratory rehabilitation program improved functional capacity, pain, and respiratory parameters in a pediatric patient following surgical correction of Tetralogy of Fallot.

Implication

Case report of TOF variant adds anecdotal data; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change practice.

Abstract

Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is a congenital heart defect characterized by four distinct heart abnormalities, which include an overriding aorta (where the aorta crosses both ventricles), a ventricular septal defect (VSD), right ventricular hypertrophy (the right ventricle muscle is thickened), and pulmonary stenosis (the pulmonary valve and artery are narrowed). Individuals suffering from TOF may exhibit pinkness, cyanosis at baseline, or episodes of hypercyanosis. The pathoanatomy of the TOF allows blood from the pulmonary and systemic circulations to mix. Cyanosis is caused by the addition of deoxygenated blood from a shunt that runs from right to left to the systemic circulation. In this case report, we present a five-year-old female patient with a known case of TOF. The results were recorded using the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) Questionnaire, New York Heart Association (NYHA) Dyspnoea Scale, Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale, and arterial blood gas analysis. Therapy goals were to improve overall functional ability, to remove secretions from airway, and the return of acceptable cardiovascular function. This case report focuses on the success of the cardiorespiratory rehabilitation program based on the patient's current state of health. The outcome parameters confirm that patients can experience improved functional recovery.