| The Incentive Spirometer |
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You may have been given an Incentive
Spirometer (IS) by your health professional to help
improve your breathing in conjunction with other
exercises.Its use is to improve how your respiratory
muscles work, improve your breathing volume and to try
to re-establish normal breathing. |
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Your health professional will give
you specific guidelines on how to use this device,
which may differ slightly from the general information
written here. The device is used on “ breathing
in” and will not work if you blow down it. |
| Using the Incentive Spirometer |
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Sit in an upright position and if possible
position the IS upright. If that makes using it too
difficult the work can be made easier by tilting
the device slightly away from you. |
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Breath gently out until you feel you
have cleared most of the air from your lungs |
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Put the mouth piece in to your mouth, seal your
lips around it and breathe in slowly |
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Inhale so that the first ball stays at the top
of the tube for as long as possible |
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Regular practice will bring better results but
be patient |
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With practice you will be able to control the single
ball up and down the tube without it affecting the
other balls |
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You should be using the IS for at least
ten minutes every one or two hours during the day |
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Use the device as directed and don’t think
that by moving all of the balls up at once it will
do you more good |
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Don’t over do the practice and
rush the breaths as it is quite easy to over breathe
causing you to feel quite dizzy. Take a moment to
rest and breathe quietly between efforts |
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Don’t share the use of the IS
with other family members as that will increase the
risk of acquiring a chest infection |
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The incentive spirometer measures two
important numbers: |
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FEV1 (air flow) |
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FEV6 forced vital capacity (air volume)
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These numbers are simple expressions
of complex processes, somewhat similar as to how
blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels measure
complex processes. The numbers obtained for FEV1
and FEV6 by an incentive spirometer are important
for both patient and physician to help diagnose asthma,
COPD and to monitor the course of respiratory diseases
and their response to treatment.
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| Why Should You Use an Incentive Spirometer? |
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 Deep breathing helps alveoli, the small
air sacs deep in your lungs, fully expand. Though
you’re probably not aware of doing it, you
normally take many deep breaths every hour. As well,
you probably yawn or sigh numerous times without
knowing it. However, your normal breathing pattern
may change.
When you lie in bed for a long time (while
recovering from injuries or surgeries, for instance)
you tend to take shallow breaths and not cough as
often as needed.
You might start taking shallow breaths
in an attempt to decrease pain associated with chest
surgery or abdominal surgery. Using an incentive
spirometer will help you return to normal breathing
rhythms. By inhaling deeply, you also help mobilize
secretions and open areas of the lungs that my have
collapsed.
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Using an incentive spirometer will mimic natural
sighing and yawning and encourage you to take slow,
deep breaths. After major surgeries, it’s important
to take your spirometer home with you and continue
your breathing exercises at home. Not only will this
help restore your regular breathing rhythm, but it
will also help you avoid atlectasis (a collapsed
or airless condition of the lung) and pneumonia. |
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Peter Scott - Team Leader
