Why the study?
The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of inspiratory muscle training on inspiratory muscle strength and cardiorespiratory performance in patients undergoing open heart surgery.
Does inspiratory muscle training combined with physical therapy improve cardiorespiratory performance in patients undergoing open heart surgery?
Does inspiratory muscle training combined with physical therapy improve cardiorespiratory performance in patients undergoing open heart surgery?
Inspiratory muscle training combined with standard physical therapy significantly improves inspiratory muscle strength and cardiorespiratory performance in patients undergoing open heart surgery.
Supports adding inspiratory muscle training to post-open heart surgery care; extends RCT evidence for respiratory interventions in cardiac recovery.
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of inspiratory muscle training on inspiratory muscle strength and cardiorespiratory performance in patients undergoing open heart surgery. Method: This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial with two groups. Fifty-eight patients who underwent open heart surgery were randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group 29 in the control group and 29 in the intervention group. Patients in the intervention group participated in a physical therapy program combined with inspiratory muscle training using the Thammasat University (TU) Breath Trainer. Patients in the control group received only the standard physical therapy program. The maximum inspiratory pressure, maximum expiratory pressure and 6 min walk test distance were assessed both before surgery and prior to hospital discharge. Results: The intervention group had a significant increase in maximum inspiratory pressure (p < 0.001), maximum expiratory pressure (p < 0.001) and 6 min walk test distance (p = 0.013). The control group had a significant decrease in maximum inspiratory pressure (p < 0.001), maximum expiratory pressure (p = 0.002) and 6 min walk test distance (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Inspiratory muscle training can be performed using maximum pressure resistors, such as the TU-Breath Trainer device. This training has been shown to effectively improve inspiratory muscle strength and cardiorespiratory performance in patients undergoing open heart surgery, as well as reduce pulmonary complications and shorten the length of hospital stay.
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Kulchanarat et al. (2025) studied this question.
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