233 Kinect active video game in cystic fibrosis: Exercise or fun?

Background: Physical activity plays an important role in the management of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) especially during hospital admission. Recently interactive games have been proposed as a training method; however studies involving CF are few and the role of this new training strategy is not clear. Objectives: To determine whether an exercise using a gaming console Xbox KinectTM (XB) results in similar respiratory-cardiovascular demand as traditional stationary cycle training (CY) in young CF. To evaluate patient satisfaction with XB versus CY. Methods: Patients admitted to hospital for annual follow-up, who met inclusion criteria, underwent a single exercise session with XB and CY on separate days. The objective was to reach heart rate target (HR target) for this population. Heart rate (HR), oxygen saturation (SpO2) were measured together with perception of dyspnoea and fatigue rated respectively with visual analogue scale and Children’s OMNI Perceived Exertion Scale. Patient’s satisfaction was tested with a 5-point Likert-type scale. Results: 30 CF patients (36.7% M, age 8−17 yrs, FEV1: 45–101% pred.) were enrolled. There was no significant difference in the maximum value of HR between XB and CY (p = 0.2). CY was associated more frequently with achievement of HR target (p = 0.02). XB provided a lower level of dyspnoea (p = 0.001) and fatigue (p< 0.0001). XB was more enjoyable than CY (p< 0.001). Conclusions: XB might provide a cardiovascular demand similar to CY, although the modality is different (interval versus continuous training). Patients expressed greater enjoyment in XB. Further studies on the impact of interactive games are warranted.