after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery have been reported not to be more effective than physical therapy, including early mobilization alone in reducing atelectasis,1 pneumonia,2 gas exchange and lung function impairment,3 or other kinds of pulmonary complications.4,5 Pasquina et al6 con- cluded that evidence is lacking on benefit from any method of prophylactic respiratory physical therapy after cardiac surgery, and that it is more comprehen- sive than justified by findings of clinical research.
We have shown7 an immediate effect of a single session of voluntary deep-breathing exercises on atelectasis and oxygenation on the second postoper- ative day after CABG surgery. Incentive spirometry remains a frequently used technique for the prophy- laxis and treatment of respiratory complications in postsurgical patients, but the evidence does not support the use of incentive spirometry for decreas- ing the incidence of atelectasis and pulmonary com- plications following cardiac surgery.1,8,9 The objec- tive of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of voluntary deep-breathing exercises performed with a positive expiratory pressure (PEP) blow-bottle de- vice on pulmonary function, atelectasis, arterial blood gas levels, and subjective experience in CABG patients compared to a control group who performed no breathing exercises.