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 .
Comparison of incentive spirometry and intermittent positive pressure breathing after coronary artery bypass graft.
Fifty-two patients were r and omized to receive either incentive spirometry ( IS ) or intermittent positive pressure breathing ( IPPB ) in addition to conventional chest physical therapy following coronary artery bypass grafting .  Slow vital capacity and peak expiratory flow readings decreased rapidly and to an equal extent in both groups after surgery , and partly recovered by the sixth postoperative day ( POP ) . Arterial PO2 values were similar for the groups on the first three POPs . On the POPs 2 , 3 , and 6 , the number of chest films showing atelectases as well as the number of individual patients having atelectases revealed no statistically significant differences between the two groups . Based on the three variables studied , we consider both devices equal in efficiency after coronary surgery
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 .