Infection Prevention: Incentive Spirometry
Infection Prevention: Incentive SpirometryIncentive spirometry is a lung exercise that helps strengthen and expand your lungs by forcing you to takedeep breaths. Your doctor may recommend you perform incentive spirometry as you recover from surgery inorder prevent an infection, or if you are on bed rest for a long period of time.If you have a lung infection like pneumonia, or have COPD, incentive spirometry can help get rid of any excessfluids in your lungs, helping you breathe easier and feel better.“Well, incentive spirometry is something that just helps keep your lungs open and working well.”To properly exercise your lungs, use an incentive spirometer and take slow, deep breaths. To use an incentivespirometer, sit up as straight as you can in a chair, or in your bed. Hold the spirometer at shoulder level.Breathe out as much as you can and put the mouthpiece in your mouth, making sure your lips form a tight sealaround it.Take a breath in slowly, keeping the small ball on the right between the two indicator arrows. As you breathein, the large ball in the left-hand chamber will rise. Your healthcare provider will show you how high the ballshould rise, by setting a sliding goal marker on the side of the air chamber. Your job is to breathe in deepenough to raise the ball to the goal marker. If you can raise it higher, go ahead.Hold your breath for 5 seconds and let the ball fall slowly back down to the bottom of the spirometer. Removethe mouthpiece and breathe out normally. Perform this routine as often as your healthcare team tells you to butyou may do your exercises as often as five to ten times every hour. Coughing after your exercises will helpclear your lungs even more. As your breathing and lungs improve, your healthcare team may set new goals.Simply move the indicator on the outside of the spirometer to your new goal level and continue to exercise yourlungs.Many people continue incentive spirometry at home after they are discharged from the hospital. Keep a recordof your incentive spirometry results. This will help your healthcare provider monitor your progress. Yourincentive spirometer is a medical device. Besides your healthcare provider, do not let anyone else touch it. Toavoid infection, wipe or wash your mouthpiece as directed.Incentive spirometry can help you prevent lung infections and help make your breathing easier. Do yourexercises as directed to get the most benefit. And if you feel new pain while doing your lung exercises, tell yourhealthcare provider right away.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.VER59410B EN InfectionPreventionIncentiveSpirometry.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 1
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