Fitness testing of pediatric liver transplant recipients

Liver transplantation is accepted as the standard management for end-stage liver disease in children. Pediatric heart and heart-lung transplant recipi ents have shown significantly diminished exercise capacities compared with age-matched, able-bodied, control subjects. The primary aim of this study i s to compare the fitness levels of a group of pediatric liver transplant (L T) recipients (LT group, 20 boys, 9 girls; age, 8.9 +/- 4.8 years; 56 +/- 3 5 months posttransplantation) with a group of able-bodied control subjects (22 boys, 12 girls; age, 8.4 +/- 3.8 years). The secondary aim is to compar e the performance of the LT group against the Fitnessgram criterion standar ds. We assessed muscular endurance by means of a partial curl-up, flexibili ty by means of the back-saver sit and reach, and cardiorespiratory fitness by means of the progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run (PACER). T he only significant (P<.05) difference between the 2 groups was the number of shuttles run in the PACER (control, 16.8 +/- 9.8 VLT, 11.5 +/- 8.4 shutt les). Other differences between the 2 groups mere not significant. With reg ard to satisfying the Fitnessgram criterion standards, only 35% of the LT g roup achieved the standards for the partial curl-up, 88% of the LT group ac hieved the criterion standards for flexibility, and 0% achieved the standar ds for the PACER. These results indicate that the LT group has diminished e xercise capacity. The origins of exercise limitations deserve further inves tigation.