Preoperative use of incentive spirometry does not affect postoperative lung function in bariatric surgery

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Pulmonology
• Bariatric Surgery

Background:

• Morbidly obese patients undergoing general anesthesia for laparoscopic bariatric surgery face increased risk of postoperative lung function decline.
• Incentive spirometry (IS) is a common intervention aimed at improving respiratory outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if systematic preoperative incentive spirometry (IS) use can help morbidly obese patients preserve postoperative respiratory function.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of IS in mitigating lung function decrease after bariatric surgery.

Main Methods:

• Forty-one morbidly obese patients (BMI > 40 kg/m²) were randomized into two groups.
• The treatment group used IS 5 times daily (10 breaths/session), while the control group used it once daily (3 breaths/session).
• Inspiratory capacity (IC) was measured preoperatively and on postoperative day 1.

Main Results:

• Both groups showed a significant drop in inspiratory capacity (IC) on postoperative day 1.
• No significant difference in IC was observed between the treatment and control groups.
• Preoperative IS use did not lead to significant improvements in postoperative inspiratory capacity.

Conclusions:

• Systematic preoperative incentive spirometry use does not significantly improve inspiratory capacity in morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery.
• Incentive spirometry is not a useful resource for preventing postoperative lung function decrease in this patient population.