Young Patient at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital is One of World’s First to Receive Cardiac Rehab Workouts While Device Helps Her Heart Pump
(PRUnderground) March 12th, 2025
Four-year-old Sienna works out at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital like she’s training for something big. She really is: A new heart.
Despite her young age, Sienna is already making history.
Sienna is one of the first pediatric patients in the world to undergo structured cardiac rehabilitation workouts at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital while connected to a ventricular assistive device (VAD) that helps keep her heart beating.
The workouts have helped her go from a 3-year-old who could barely move while in the intensive care unit (ICU), to an energetic child who likes to run through the hospital halls and push a toy shopping cart filled with weights.
“As parents, some of our hardest days were when Sienna was so sick and weak that she had no desire to play,” said her mom, Francesca Barton. “Now you’d never even guess she has half of a heart. She is so strong and energetic that she wears all of us adults out.”
For the pediatric cardiac team at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, Sienna’s progress is another example of the medical advances at the hospital that is helping young heart patients survive and thrive.
Sienna was born with a congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Despite two open heart surgeries, she developed severe heart failure.
To keep her alive, cardiac surgeons at the hospital implanted the ventricular assistive device in Sienna to help her weakened heart pump blood to her body while she waits for a heart organ transplant.
When she first got the VAD, Sienna was so weak that walking across her hospital room left her exhausted. But her life changed when she started cardiac rehabilitation.
“Cardiac rehab without a doubt has helped our VAD patients go into heart transplant stronger and healthier than ever before,” said Lindsay May, MD, pediatric cardiologist at University of Utah Health who helps oversee the VAD program at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.
“Our patients have measurably more stamina and strength as a result of cardiac rehab, which can only better prepare them for the huge post-transplant recovery. Our cardiac rehab team has an incredible rapport with these kids, and they worked closely with us to develop safety protocols and guidelines to make the rehab process as airtight as possible.”
Cardiac rehabilitation is standard for adults with heart problems, but is a relatively new therapy for children, and rare among young children with severe heart failure. The nationally ranked Heart Center at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital is one of the nation’s few programs to offer it to kids.
“It is important that every child be physically active, especially those with heart disease, or who are waiting for a heart transplant,” said Jessica Pavlock, exercise physiologist and cardiac rehab lead at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital. “It builds endurance and strength, supports kids’ physical and mental health, and helps patients like Sienna reclaim the joy of being a child, even while in the hospital. Although her journey is not over yet, one thing is certain: She has a bright future, full of play, laughter, and endless possibilities.”
Cardiac rehab patients work with an exercise physiologist a few times per week to improve their muscular strength, aerobic capacity, and physical performance by engaging in activities they like to do.
“Being active will help heart patients feel happier, be healthier, sleep better, and do better at school,” said Dan Ziebell, MD, pediatric cardiologist with University of Utah Health and director of the cardiac fitness program at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital.
Sienna’s exercises began with walking, slowly and gently. Week by week, her strength returned.
Today, at 4 years old, Sienna is bursting with energy.
She laughs and sings at the top of her lungs while climbing the hospital stairs. She is the boss of her cardiac rehab sessions that continue to help her strength and endurance as she prepares for a heart transplant.
“Cardiac Rehab has allowed Sienna to have a wonderful quality of life throughout this long, unexpected 755-day hospital stay,” her mom said. “I have no doubt Sienna’s body is in the best shape possible to accept her hero heart. Jessica and her team have been so outstanding, we are incredibly grateful for them and Cardiac Rehab program.”
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.
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