Effects of Deep Breathing Exercises Two Months After Cardiac Surgery

On the fourth postoperative day the patients are randomly assigned to a Treatment group continuing to perform deep breathing exercises for 2 months postoperatively and to a Control group who will perform no breathing exercises after the third postoperative day. Patient management is otherwise similar in the groups. The patients in the Deep breathing group will be instructed to perform breathing exercises (3 x 10 deep breaths) 5 times a day (document compliance) during the two postoperative months. A Positive expiratory pressure (PEP) device PEP ventil, System 22 (Rium Medical, Täby, Sweden) is used to create an expiratory resistance of +10 cm H2O.