Which intervention helps prevent postoperative atelectasis?

Which intervention helps prevent postoperative atelectasis?

• A. Deep breathing exercises
• B. Coughing every hour
• C. Incentive spirometry
• D. Early ambulation

Answer: (C)

A postoperative atelectasis is prevented best by interventions that encourage sustained deep breaths to keep the alveoli expanded. Incentive spirometry does this most directly: it provides a visual goal and guides the patient to take slow, deep inspirations to reach a target volume, then hold briefly to maximize alveolar inflation. This repeated, maximal inspiration helps recruit collapsed airways, increases functional residual capacity, and maintains open airways after anesthesia when shallow breathing is common. While deep breathing exercises and early ambulation also support lung ventilation and clearance of secretions, incentive spirometry specifically trains and reinforces the deep inspiratory effort with feedback, making it the most effective single measure to prevent postoperative atelectasis. Coughing aids airway clearance but doesn’t reliably expand collapsed alveoli by itself.

A postoperative atelectasis is prevented best by interventions that encourage sustained deep breaths to keep the alveoli expanded. Incentive spirometry does this most directly: it provides a visual goal and guides the patient to take slow, deep inspirations to reach a target volume, then hold briefly to maximize alveolar inflation. This repeated, maximal inspiration helps recruit collapsed airways, increases functional residual capacity, and maintains open airways after anesthesia when shallow breathing is common.

While deep breathing exercises and early ambulation also support lung ventilation and clearance of secretions, incentive spirometry specifically trains and reinforces the deep inspiratory effort with feedback, making it the most effective single measure to prevent postoperative atelectasis. Coughing aids airway clearance but doesn’t reliably expand collapsed alveoli by itself.