Abstract
A 53-year-old male mountain biker received a total artificial heart and remained in the cardiovascular intensive care unit for 56 days. To reduce functional decline caused by inactivity, he performed a six-session cycle ergometer exercise program in his hospital room. Traditional cardiac responses for exercise prescription were not applicable; therefore, a symptom-limited, monitored progression scheme in conjunction with recommendations for the artificial heart was implemented to modify duration and intensity. Over the six sessions, the patient improved his distance pedaled by 320% and functional capacity by 1 metabolic equivalent. He was subsequently discharged from the hospital and later successfully transplanted without readmission.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank Briget Da Graca for providing medical writing and editorial support for this case report.