Inpatient inspiratory muscle training after upper abdominal surgery

Background and aim: It is known that upper abdominal surgery causes postoperative respiratory muscle dysfunction; however, there is limited research on the role of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) after postoperative period. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of inpatient IMT on respiratory muscle strength, peripheral muscle strength and respiratory functions in patients undergoing upper abdominal surgery. Methods: Thirty-one patients undergoing upper abdominal surgery were randomly divided into study group (SG, n=15) and control group (CG, n=16), median ages of groups were 59.0 and 54.5 years and APACHE II scores were 23.0 and 22.5, respectively. Respiratory muscle strength (maximum inspiratory pressure=MIP and maximum expiratory pressure=MEP), peripheral muscle strength (handgrip strength) and respiratory functions (spirometric measurements) were assessed on the extubation day in intensive care unit and the day of hospital discharge. The SG received routine physiotherapy program and IMT while the CG received only a routine physiotherapy program from the extubation day to the hospital discharge. Results: All recorded outcomes (except for FEV 1 /FVC) showed significant improvements in both groups (p 0.05). However, the increase of MIP (SG=34.0 cmH 2 O, CG=24.5 cmH 2 O), MEP (SG=32.0 cmH 2 O, CG=19.0 cmH 2 O) and handgrip strength (SG=12 kg, CG=9 kg) were significantly higher in SG (p Conclusion: IMT results in faster improvement of respiratory and peripheral muscle strength. It can be suggested that IMT should be used as a part of inpatient rehabilitation program after upper abdominal surgery.