The Effectiveness of Perioperative Respiratory Muscle Exercise in Elderly Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

In 30 seconds

This randomized controlled trial evaluated perioperative respiratory muscle exercise in 82 elderly patients undergoing cardiac surgery at a tertiary hospital in China. Participants were assigned to training from admission to discharge, except during mechanical ventilation, or to usual care. Compared with controls, the training group had greater maximal inspiratory pressure at the reported assessment (57.69±10.85 cmH₂O vs 48.28±10.30 cmH₂O) and fewer postoperative pulmonary complications (38.1% vs 65.0%). The abstract also reports improvements in pulmonary function, functional capacity, and several recovery outcomes; reductions in postoperative pulmonary events and six-month rehospitalization were not statistically significant.

Key findings

• Maximal inspiratory pressure was higher with training than control: 57.69±10.85 cmH₂O vs 48.28±10.30 cmH₂O.
• Postoperative pulmonary complications occurred in 38.1% of the training group and 65.0% of controls.
• Inspiratory muscle weakness was reported in 42.9% with training versus 85.0% with control.
• Postoperative pulmonary events (9.5% vs 22.5%) and six-month rehospitalization (9.5% vs 17.5%) were lower, but differences were not statistically significant.

Why it matters

Respiratory muscle weakness and pulmonary complications can complicate recovery after cardiac surgery. This trial suggests that a perioperative exercise programme may improve respiratory strength and functional recovery while reducing some complications. The findings are relevant to perioperative recovery planning, although the reported benefits should be interpreted in light of the trial’s size and the abstract’s limited detail on outcome estimates.

What to keep in mind

The trial included 82 participants at a single tertiary hospital; the abstract provides no confidence intervals or detailed effect estimates for most outcomes.