3 : It is suggested that deep breathing exercises provide the same benefit as incentive spirometry in the preoperative and postoperative setting to prevent postoperative pulmonary complications .
Three physiotherapy protocols: effects on pulmonary volumes after cardiac surgery.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate inspiratory volume in patients undergoing cardiac surgery and to determine the effects that incentive spirometry ( IS ) and the breath stacking ( BS ) technique have on the recovery of FVC in such patients . METHODS A prospect i ve , controlled , r and omized clinical trial involving 35 patients undergoing cardiac surgery at the Hospital de Força Aérea do Galeão ( HFAG , Galeão Air Force Hospital ) , in the city of Rio de Janeiro , Brazil . The patients , all of whom performed mobilization and cough procedures , were r and omly divided into three groups : exercise control ( EC ) , performing only the abovementioned procedures ; IS , performing the abovementioned procedures and instructed to take long breaths using an incentive spirometer ; and BS , performing the abovementioned procedures , together with successive inspiratory efforts using a facial mask coupled to a unidirectional valve . Forced spirometry was carried out in the preoperative period and on postoperative days 1 to 5 . During the maneuvers , inspiratory volume was measured in the IS and BS groups . RESULTS On postoperative day 1 , FVC significantly decreased in all groups ( EC : 87.1 vs. 32.0 % ; IS : 75.3 vs. 29.5 % ; and BS : 81.9 vs. 33.2 % ; p < 0.001 for all ) , as did inspiratory volume in the IS and BS groups ( 2.29 vs. 0.82 L ; and 2.56 vs. 1.34 L , respectively ; p < 0.001 for both ) . Between postoperative days 1 and 5 , FVC partially normalized in all groups ( EC : 32.0 vs. 51.3 % ; IS : 29.5 vs. 46.7 % ; and BS : 33.3 vs. 54.3 % ; p < 0.001 for all ) . During the postoperative period , inspiratory volume was significantly higher in the BS group than in the IS group . CONCLUSIONS The three protocol s were equivalent concerning the recovery of FVC on the first five postoperative days . When compared with IS , the BS technique promoted higher inspiratory volumes in this sample of postoperative cardiac patients
3 : It is suggested that deep breathing exercises provide the same benefit as incentive spirometry in the preoperative and postoperative setting to prevent postoperative pulmonary complications .