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Incentive spirometry does not enhance recovery after thoracic surgery.

R Gosselink1, K Schrever, P Cops

  • 1Respiratory Rehabilitation and Respiratory Division, University Hospitals, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and the Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Belgium. rik.gosselink@uz.kuleuven.ac.be

Critical Care Medicine
|February 7, 2001
PubMed
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Adding incentive spirometry (IS) to chest physiotherapy did not reduce pulmonary complications or hospital stay for patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Routine use of IS after these procedures appears ineffective for most patients.

Area of Science:

  • Thoracic Surgery
  • Pulmonary Medicine
  • Critical Care Medicine

Background:

  • Postoperative pulmonary complications are a significant concern after thoracic surgery.
  • Chest physiotherapy (PT) is a standard intervention to mitigate these risks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the added benefit of incentive spirometry (IS) to chest physiotherapy (PT) in preventing pulmonary complications following thoracic surgery.
  • To assess the impact on pulmonary function recovery and hospital stay.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 67 patients undergoing lung or esophageal resection.
  • Patients received either PT alone or PT combined with IS post-surgery.
  • Outcomes included lung function, temperature, chest radiographs, and length of stay.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Pulmonary function decreased post-surgery but improved similarly in both groups.
  • No significant difference in pulmonary complications or chest radiograph findings between groups.
  • The addition of IS to PT did not reduce hospital or intensive care unit stay.

Conclusions:

  • The addition of incentive spirometry to chest physiotherapy does not significantly reduce pulmonary complications or hospital stay after thoracic surgery.
  • Routine use of IS in this patient population may be ineffective, though potential benefits in high-risk subgroups cannot be excluded.