Effect of Respiratory Exercises on the Prevalence of Atelectasis in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Patients with coronary artery bypass (CAB) surgery are at risk of atelectasis. Use of respiratory exercises as an effective approach has had controversy finding in CAB patients. This study aimed to determine the effect of breathing exercises on the prevention of atelectasis in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.

In this randomized clinical trial, 80 patients with CAB surgery who referred to Ekbatan Hospital, Hamadan, Iran from July 2013 to May 2015 were randomly divided into two groups. In experimental group (n=40), respiratory exercises (30 deep respiratory per hour for 3 days postoperatively) were performed by patients, after full education and extubation along with routine care. In control group (n=40), patients only received routine care. Chest x ray was used to diagnose atelectasis. Data analysis was done by SPSS 17.

The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of personal characteristics such as age, sex, education, bmi and etc. (P<0/05). The result of the Mann-Whitney test in order to compare the two groups of test and control for the occurrence of atelectasis, respiration and respiratory type showed a significant difference between the two groups at all hours after surgery (P<0/001). These findings confirmed the effectiveness of respiratory exercises.

This study showed that breathing exercises can reduce the incidence of atelectasis. Therefore, applying this method as a routine care is recommended in patients with CAB surgery.