Customizable Respiratory Exercise Device in Individuals Who Have Undergone Cardiac Surgery

Breathing exercises can be applied specifically to different segments of the lungs, increasing collateral ventilation and helping mobilize secretions. Chronic respiratory diseases, rib cage deformities, neuromuscular diseases that cause breathing problems, lung transplant or lung surgery patients in the pre-operative and post-operative period, cancer patients, heart failure patients and cardiovascular surgery patients, and those whose quality of life is impaired due to shortness of breath. People are known to be groups that benefit from breathing exercises. Breathing exercises have been shown to be effective in preserving respiratory function and preventing or reducing respiratory complications in all of these conditions. It has been reported that respiratory muscle training applied within the scope of pre- and post-operative cardiac rehabilitation programs is beneficial in increasing respiratory functions and reducing the risk of postoperative complications and length of stay. Respiratory muscle training is known to have many potential beneficial effects on patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Different methods and devices are used to improve and develop the functions of inspiratory and expiratory muscles, and each training method and device has differences. For this reason, the respiratory exercise device to be developed is aimed to be a device that can be shaped according to the desired purpose, has visual feedback, and can combine multiple respiratory muscle training methods. The device is thought to play an active role in rehabilitating complications such as lung ventilation and respiratory muscle weakness, which are frequently affected in patients after major surgery such as cardiac surgery. Therefore, it is thought that examining the clinical effects of using a personalized breathing exercise device on respiratory functions, respiratory muscle strength, and functional capacity in individuals who have undergone cardiac surgery will contribute to the literature.