Proper Use of Incentive Spirometer
After surgery or a prolonged hospital stay, your health care provider my prescribe daily incentive spirometer treatments. The incentive spirometer is meant to help keep your lungs free of fluid buildup and is used to prevent pneumonia. The incentive spirometer measures how your lungs fill up when you inhale.
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Purpose of an Incentive Spirometer
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The incentive spirometer, commonly referred to as an IS, is an instrument used to help keep a person's lungs free from fluid buildup. Too much fluid in a person's lungs can lead to pneumonia. The IS provides a sort of exercise to the lungs. In addition, the incentive spirometer can provide evidence to your health care provider about how well your lungs are inflating, and if you are taking adequate breaths.
People Who May Need Incentive Spirometer
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A person who will be staying in the hospital after surgery or a person who has been hospitalized for an extended period of time may be prescribed an incentive spirometer. Being bedridden increases a person's chance of developing pneumonia. People diagnosed with chronic breathing problems, such as those with end-stage COPD, may benefit from the use of an IS.
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How to Use an Incentive Spirometer
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It is important to be sitting up when using your IS. Place your mouth tightly around the spirometer's mouthpiece. Any air leak will cause the incentive spirometer to be ineffective. You are going to take a nice, slow, deep breath in. The goal is to hit the target pointer that was set by your health care provider. Make a note of the level you have reached on the incentive spirometer and report it to your health care provider. When you have reached the point where you cannot inhale any further, continue to hold your breath for three seconds and exhale as you normally would. You are going to want to use your incentive spirometer as recommended by your health care provider. This may be as frequently as 5 to 10 times an hour or once every hour.
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