Impact of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Masks on Arterial Blood Gas Parameters and Pulmonary Side Effects after Open-heart Surgery

Pulmonary side effects are one of the most prevalent and critical sequels following open-heart surgery. A preventive measure for pulmonary side effects after open-heart surgery is to apply continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) masks. However, studies regarding the usage of these masks have demonstrated contradictory results. Therefore, the present investigation aimed to evaluate the influence of CPAP masks on reducing pulmonary side effects following open-heart surgery. 

This clinical trial was performed on 72 subjects selected through the continuous sampling method out of the patients with open-heart surgery and assigned to two groups of 36 in 2015 in Kashan, Iran. The participants in the test group went under CPAP with 5 cmH2O pressure immediately post-extubation for five times of 30 min with the intervals of 8 h (a total of 150 min during 40 h). On the other hand, the subjects of the control group only received the routine care of the department. Pulmonary sequels, including pleural effusion, pneumothorax, and atelectasis, in addition to some other variables, namely PO2, PCO2, oxygen saturation (O2 Sat), and respiratory rate (RR) were assessed. All the data were analyzed by the Chi-square test and independent t-test.           

Our findings demonstrated that CPAP application can significantly diminish the occurrence of atelectasis and pleural effusion after open-heart surgery (P<0.05). Moreover, the results revealed that CPAP mask usage leads to a significant reduction in RR and arterial PCO2, while elevates PO2 and O2 Sat significantly (P<0.05).

Results of the current study showed that the non-invasive application of CPAP mask immediately post-extubation in patients who undergo open-heart surgery can effectively improve pulmonary function and decrease the incidence of pulmonary side effects, such as atelectasis.