CONCLUSION There was no evidence to support the use of incentive spirometry in the management of surgical patients .
OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review to evaluate the evidence of the use of incentive spirometry ( IS ) for the prevention of postoperative pulmonary complications and for the recovery of pulmonary function in patients undergoing abdominal , cardiac and thoracic surgeries .
Deep‐Breathing Exercises Reduce Atelectasis And Improve Pulmonary Function After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.
STUDY OBJECTIVES To investigate the effects of deep-breathing exercises on pulmonary function , atelectasis , and arterial blood gas levels after coronary artery bypass graft ( CABG ) surgery . DESIGN , SETTING , AND PATIENTS In a prospect i ve , r and omized trial , patients performing deep-breathing exercises ( n = 48 ) were compared to a control group ( n = 42 ) who performed no breathing exercises postoperatively .  Patient management was similar in the groups in terms of assessment , positioning , and mobility . INTERVENTIONS The patients in the deep-breathing group were instructed to perform breathing exercises hourly during daytime for the first 4 postoperative days . The exercises consisted of 30 slow , deep breaths performed with a positive expiratory pressure blow-bottle device ( + 10 cm H(2)O ) . MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Spirometric measurements , spiral CT ( three transverse levels ) , arterial blood gas analysis , and scoring of subjective experience of the breathing exercises were performed on the fourth postoperative day . Atelectasis was only half the size in the deep-breathing group compared to the control group , amounting to 2.6 + /- 2.2 % vs 4.7 + /- 5.7 % ( p = 0.045 ) at the basal level and 0.1 + /- 0.2 % vs 0.3 + /- 0.5 % ( mean + /- SD ) [ p = 0.01 ] at the apical level . Compared to the control subjects , the patients in the deep-breathing group had a significantly smaller reduction in FVC ( to 71 + /- 12 % , vs 64 + /- 13 % of the preoperative values ; p = 0.01 ) and FEV(1 ) ( to 71 + /- 11 % , vs 65 + /- 13 % of the preoperative values ; p = 0.01 ) . Arterial oxygen tension , carbon dioxide tension , fever , or length of ICU or hospital stay did not differ between the groups . In the deep-breathing group , 72 % of the patients experienced a subjective benefit from the exercises . CONCLUSIONS Patients performing deep-breathing exercises after CABG surgery had significantly smaller atelectatic areas and better pulmonary function on the fourth postoperative day compared to a control group performing no exercises
CONCLUSION There was no evidence to support the use of incentive spirometry in the management of surgical patients .
OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review to evaluate the evidence of the use of incentive spirometry ( IS ) for the prevention of postoperative pulmonary complications and for the recovery of pulmonary function in patients undergoing abdominal , cardiac and thoracic surgeries .