Study protocol
In the pre-surgical period, the following variables were individually
assessed in all patients: pulmonary function, ventilatory muscle
strength, peak flow and functional capacity. The pulmonary function
variables evaluated were vital capacity and peak expiratory flow. Muscle
strength through maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximum
expiratory pressure (MEP). And, for functional capacity, the 6-minute
walk test (6MWT) was used.
As predicted, the day after the evaluation, the patients were referred
to the operating room and, after the procedure, they were admitted to
the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). On the second postoperative day (POD),
patients were randomized by simple drawing: there were both options on
folded papers and someone working at the unit was asked to take a paper
to draw.
Thus, these patients were assigned to one of the groups, namely:
inspiratory muscle training group (IG) and the control group (CG). The
IG had the MIP evaluated and 40% of the value found in each patient was
used. To offer the load, the PowerBreathe device (PowerBreathe Medical
Classic) was used. All patients included in this study performed 30
daily repetitions, divided into two shifts, 15 in the morning and 15 in
the afternoon, every day until hospital discharge, in which all
variables were reevaluated.
The CG evaluated in the preoperative period was submitted to
interventions, such as: breathing exercises, ambulation, cycle
ergometry, changes in decubitus, active or active assisted
kinesiotherapy that were already performed according to the hospital
protocol. All patients were reassessed at discharge. It is worth
mentioning that all evaluations were made by a blind examiner.