• Youngmo Kim, Min Kyung Park, Myung-Jun Shin, Yong Beom Shin, Hye Won Lee, Ra Yu Yun, and Byeong-Ju Lee.
• Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, South Korea.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2022 Jul 29; 101 (30): e29180e29180.

RationaleCardiac rehabilitation (CR) after heart transplantation (HT) decreases the mortality rate and increases exercise capacity of patients. Dilated cardiomyopathy develops in most patients with muscular dystrophy (MD), leading to advanced heart failure, necessitating the use of left ventricular assist devices or HT. As the clinical outcomes of left ventricular assist devices and HT in patients with myopathy differ from those in patients without myopathy, CR adapted to patients with MD should be considered.Patient ConcernsA 39-year-old man with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy developed dilated cardiomyopathy and underwent HT.DiagnosisThe patient was diagnosed as having limb-girdle muscular dystrophy in 1997.InterventionEarly CR was performed based on the patient's physical condition and ability.OutcomesWith chest physiology, aerobic, and resistance exercises, the patient was able to walk using a walker 28 days after HT. This is important because his lower-extremity strength and walking ability were, to some extent, maintained after surgery.LessonsSince an increasing number of patients with MD are undergoing HT, specific CR programs for these patients should be discussed.Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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