Outcomes of Incentive Spirometry for Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
Esma Gökçe, Dudu Alptekin, Derya Gezer and 4 others
PMID 40119648WHAT IT FOUND
In patients after bypass surgery, adding incentive spirometry to deep breathing, coughing, pain management and early mobilisation raised day 3 oxygen saturation and improved blood pressure and breathing rate, but pulse rate did not differ.
Key findings
01On postoperative day 3, arterial oxygen pressure, arterial oxygen saturation and peripheral oxygen saturation were significantly higher in the incentive spirometry group than in the control group.
02On postoperative day 3, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and respiratory rate differed significantly between groups, with the incentive spirometry group closer to normal, while pulse rate did not differ significantly.
03By postoperative day 3, the incentive spirometry group had oxygen values similar to preoperative values, whereas the control group still had postoperative values lower than preoperative values.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done at a single centre, so the results may not apply to other hospitals or patient groups. Only 58 of the 73 randomised patients were analysed, because several patients were excluded for nonuse, refusal, unstable condition, re-sternotomy, prolonged ventilation or death. Both groups received deep breathing, coughing, pain management and early mobilisation, so the study cannot show how much each of those components contributed. The researchers could not control how long each patient held the inspiratory ball at maximum inspiration. Only the principal investigator and statistician were blinded. The study measured oxygen and vital sign values, not whether patients developed pulmonary complications, so it does not show a reduction in complications.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that incentive spirometry alone improved oxygenation or vital signs. The experimental group also received deep breathing, coughing, pain management and early mobilisation, and the control group received the same care without incentive spirometry, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.