How does regular exercise improve cardiovascular function: Congenital heart disease and beyond

Abstract

Major advances in the fields of paediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery over the past decades have dramatically improved the survival of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Thus, care for CHD patients has shifted from managing short-term survival to having the best possible outcome in terms of long-term physical health, development and well-being. In this article, with a special focus on adult CHD (ACHD) population, we address the question: How does regular exercise improve cardiovascular function? We aim to underscore that regular exercise not only offers clinically relevant physiological benefits for patients living with a CHD condition but has also a positive effect on reducing the risk of future cardiovascular events.