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Updated: Jul 14, 2025
Effects of Surgical Masks on Cardiopulmonary Function in Healthy Subjects
Published on: February 12, 2021
Preoperative respiratory strength training is feasible and safe and improves pulmonary physiologic capacity in
Cara Donohue1,2,3,4, Lauren Wiele1,2, Alyssa Terry1,2
1Aerodigestive Research Core Laboratory, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
Objective:
To determine the safety, feasibility, and physiologic impact of a preoperative respiratory strength training (RST) program in individuals undergoing elective cardiac surgery (CS).
Methods:
Twenty-five adults undergoing an elective CS at an academic hospital setting enrolled and completed RST 5 days/week (50 repetitions, 50% training load, ≥3 weeks) at home via telehealth in this open-label prospective cohort study. RST adherence, telehealth attendance, and adverse events were tracked. Pre- and post-RST outcomes of maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), voluntary cough spirometry, and patient-reported dyspnea were collected. Descriptive analyses and Wilcoxon signed rank-tests were performed.
Results:
Two participants (9%) did not complete the prescribed RST program. No significant RST-related adverse events occurred. Treatment adherence for all enrolled participants was 90%, and telehealth attendance was 99%. Of the CS patients who completed the prescribed program (n = 23; 91%), treatment adherence and telehealth attendance were excellent (98% and 100%, respectively). Significant increases in primary outcomes were observed: MEP mean change, +15.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], +3.4 to +27.3, P < .007); MIP mean change, +14.9 (95% CI, +9.4 to +20.4, P < .0001). No statistically significant differences in voluntary cough or perceived dyspnea outcomes were observed (P > .05).
Conclusions:
These preliminary data demonstrate that a preoperative RST program is safe and feasible and can improve short-term respiratory physiologic capacity (MEP and MIP) in CS patients. Future research is warranted to validate the current findings in a larger cohort of CS patients and to determine whether RST improves postoperative extubation outcomes, airway clearance capacity, and aspiration following cardiac surgery.
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