Intermittent positive pressure breathing in the cardiac surgery setting: A review

Abstract

Purpose: To review the role of intermittent positive pressure breathing in the cardiac surgery setting. Methods: This review was conducted by searching seven major databases. A search string was built using the key words ‘intermittent positive pressure breathing’, and ‘cardiac surgery’ matched with the Boolean operator AND. Filters were selected for the publication dates January 2006 to January 2016. In each database, the search was conducted in the fields of the article title, abstract and keywords. Results: In total, seven citations that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in the final review. There was consensus among the authors regarding the inspiratory pressure values at which intermittent positive pressure breathing should be administered (15–30 cm H2O). The duration of treatment ranged between 15–30 minutes divided into one to three daily sessions, or was carried out considering the number of respirations. With regard to the treatment of pulmonary atelectasis, intermittent positive pressure breathing was shown to be effective after coronary artery bypass grafting, and it was the most cited postoperative intervention used to treat either pulmonary atelectasis and oxygen impairment, in cardiac surgery patients. Conclusions: The findings of this review seem to confirm that intermittent positive pressure breathing is still currently being used postoperatively in the cardiac surgery setting to treat surgery-related pulmonary complications.