Description:
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>BACKGROUND:</jats:title>
<jats:p>Postoperative pulmonary complications in patients who undergo open heart surgery are serious life-threatening conditions. Few studies have investigated the potentially beneficial effects of preoperative physiotherapy in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>OBJECTIVES:</jats:title>
<jats:p>Assess the effects of preoperative chest physiotherapy on oxygenation and lung function in patients undergoing open heart surgery.</jats:p>
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<jats:sec>
<jats:title>DESIGN:</jats:title>
<jats:p>Randomized, controlled.</jats:p>
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<jats:sec>
<jats:title>SETTING:</jats:title>
<jats:p>University hospital.</jats:p>
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<jats:sec>
<jats:title>PATIENTS AND METHODS:</jats:title>
<jats:p>Patients with planned open heart surgery were randomly allocated into an intervention group of patients who underwent a preoperative home chest physiotherapy program for one week in addition to the traditional postoperative program and a control group who underwent only the traditional postoperative program. Lung function was assessed daily from the day before surgery until the seventh postoperative day.</jats:p>
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<jats:sec>
<jats:title>MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:</jats:title>
<jats:p>Differences in measures of respiratory function and oxygen saturation. Length of postoperative hospital stay was a secondary outcome.</jats:p>
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<jats:sec>
<jats:title>SAMPLE SIZE:</jats:title>
<jats:p>100 patients (46 in intervention group, 54 in control group).</jats:p>
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<jats:sec>
<jats:title>RESULTS:</jats:title>
<jats:p>
Postoperative improvements in lung function and oxygen saturation in the intervention group were statistically significant compared with the control group. The intervention group also had a statistically significant shorter hospital stay (
<jats:italic>P</jats:italic>
<.01).
</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>CONCLUSION:</jats:title>
<jats:p>Preoperative chest physiotherapy is effective in improving respiratory function following open heart surgery.</jats:p>
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<jats:sec>
<jats:title>LIMITATIONS:</jats:title>
<jats:p>Relatively small number of patients.</jats:p>
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<jats:title>CONFLICT OF INTEREST:</jats:title>
<jats:p>None.</jats:p>
</jats:sec>
<jats:sec>
<jats:title>REGISTRATION:</jats:title>
<jats:p>
<jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="https://ClinicalTrials.gov">ClinicalTrials.gov</jats:ext-link>
(NCT04665024).
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