NCT07405333

Effect of Coughing Exercises Versus Incentive Spirometry on Respiratory Function and Recovery in Children After Cardiac Surgery.

Effect of Coughing Exercises Versus Incentive Spirometry on Respiratory Outcomes and Postoperative Recovery Among Children Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 99 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Baghdad · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 6 Years – 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study examines the effects of coughing exercises and incentive spirometry (IS) on lung function and recovery in children who undergo heart surgery. The main goals are to see: How coughing exercises and IS affect breathing and lung function after surgery? How these exercises influence overall recovery after surgery? Children who participate will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: coughing exercises, IS, or standard care. Those in the exercise groups will perform their assigned breathing exercises every 3 hours for the first 3 days after surgery. Daily check-ups will be conducted to monitor their progress, lung function, and oxygen levels. The study will measure breathing ability, oxygen levels, and recovery milestones to find out which method is most effective in preventing lung complications and helping children recover faster.

Detailed description

This clinical trial evaluates the effects of coughing exercises and incentive spirometry (IS) on postoperative respiratory outcomes and recovery in children undergoing elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. The study aims to answer: How do coughing exercises and IS influence lung function and breathing after surgery? How do they affect overall recovery, including physical comfort, oxygenation, and prevention of pulmonary complications? Eligible children aged 6 to 18 years will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: Coughing exercises group Incentive spirometry group Standard care group Children in the intervention groups will perform the assigned exercises every 3 hours for the first 3 days after surgery. All participants will receive daily monitoring, including vital signs, oxygen saturation, lung function assessment, and observation of postoperative recovery indicators such as feeding tolerance and mobility. The study will assess primary outcomes such as postoperative respiratory function using a standardized respiratory score, and secondary outcomes including postoperative recovery indicators (quality of recovery scores), incidence of pulmonary complications, and length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU). This research will help identify the most effective method for improving respiratory outcomes, reducing complications, and supporting faster recovery in children after cardiac surgery.

Conditions

• Congenital Heart Disease (CHD)
• Postoperative Respiratory Dysfunction
• Postoperative Recovery After Cardiac Surgery

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Coughing Exercises	participants will receive structured postoperative coughing exercises supervised by trained healthcare professionals. The intervention includes instruction on effective deep breathing followed by directed coughing to enhance airway clearance and prevent secretion retention. Exercises will be performed every 3 hours for three consecutive days after cardiac surgery, in addition to standard postoperative care.
DEVICE	Incentive Spirometry	participants will perform postoperative incentive spirometry using a standard incentive spirometer under professional supervision. Children will be instructed to perform slow, deep inspirations with visual feedback to promote lung expansion and alveolar recruitment. The intervention will be conducted 15 times every 3 hours for three days after surgery, alongside standard postoperative care.
OTHER	Standard Postoperative Care	Participants will receive routine postoperative care according to institutional protocols following cardiac surgery. This includes standard medical and nursing management such as oxygen therapy, pain control, monitoring of vital signs, and mobilization as tolerated, without additional structured respiratory physiotherapy interventions.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-12-07
• Primary completion: 2026-04-07
• Completion: 2026-04-07
• First posted: 2026-02-12
• Last updated: 2026-02-27

Locations

4 sites across 1 country: Iraq