Three physiotherapy protocols: effects on pulmonary volumes after cardiac surgery.

Objective: To evaluate inspiratory volume in patients undergoing cardiac surgery and to determine the effects that incentive spirometry (IS) and the breath stacking (BS) technique have on the recovery of FVC in such patients.

Methods: A prospective, controlled, randomized clinical trial involving 35 patients undergoing cardiac surgery at the Hospital de Força Aérea do Galeão (HFAG, Galeão Air Force Hospital), in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The patients, all of whom performed mobilization and cough procedures, were randomly divided into three groups: exercise control (EC), performing only the abovementioned procedures; IS, performing the abovementioned procedures and instructed to take long breaths using an incentive spirometer; and BS, performing the abovementioned procedures, together with successive inspiratory efforts using a facial mask coupled to a unidirectional valve.