Your health care provider may recommend that you use an incentive spirometer after surgery or when you have a lung illness, such as pneumonia. The spirometer is a device used to help you keep your lungs healthy. Using the incentive spirometer teaches you how to take slow deep breaths.
What are the indications for incentive spirometry?
The clinical indications for incentive spirometry are:
- Presence of pulmonary atelectasis.
- Presence of conditions predisposing to atelectasis: Upper abdominal surgery. Thoracic surgery. Surgery in patients with COPD.
- Presence of a restrictive lung defect associated with quadraplegia and/or dysfunctional diaphragm.
When would you use a spirometer?
Spirometry is used to diagnose asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other conditions that affect breathing. Spirometry may also be used periodically to monitor your lung condition and check whether a treatment for a chronic lung condition is helping you breathe better.
