Atelectasis is a major factor in postoperative morbidity for patients
undergoing cardiopulmonary surgery. We evaluated the effectiveness of
stacked inspiratory spirometry (STIS) in 17 patients status postcorona
ry artery bypass graft in a nonrandomized fashion. We measured pulmona
ry shunt as an endpoint, and compared the magnitudes before and after
the STIS maneuver. Our results showed an 8.66 percent reduction in pul
monary shunt (p<0.05). The reduction in shunt was modest; however, rep
etitive maneuvers might result in greater improvement.