Choir participation improves breathing and mental health in children with heart defects

Researchers at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago conducted a feasibility study involving children with a single heart ventricle.

The team collaborated with the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music to develop a program combining singing and breathing instruction. The intervention included both in-person and online sessions for the participants. Children with a single heart ventricle often undergo three surgeries to reroute blood flow. This process can lead to weaker lungs and reduced exercise tolerance.

These patients may also experience neurocognitive differences and psychosocial challenges. The researchers aimed to use the choir to support the physical and emotional development of these children. The study included 14 patients between the ages of 8 and 16 who participated for eight weeks. After the program, the children showed improved breathing measures and higher scores on self-reported well-being and depression. Parents also reported improvements in the children's school functioning and lower levels of anxiety.

The hospital plans to start a non-study choir this fall to meet the demand from families. Kendra Ward, the study's lead author, expects to launch a larger multicenter study of the intervention in 2027. The team hopes to eventually expand the program to include children with other types of congenital heart disease.