The Impacts of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Therapy on Patients After Thoracic Surgery

(1) breathing exercises (pursed-lip and diaphragmatic breathing) and coughing exercises, (2) aerobic exercises (upper and lower limb exercises and walking), (3) incentive spirometry training (Triflo-II), and (4) threshold load training of the inspiratory muscle. In the first stage (0-2 weeks), the aerobic exercise intensity was targeted to reach 10-11 points on the 20-point Borg rating of perceived exercise (RPE) scale. Patients raised their upper limbs while simultaneously performing lower-limb stepping at place for 20 min; in addition, they walked at a comfortable speed for 15 min twice per day. Incentive spirometry training (Triflo-II) was performed 8-10 times per hour. We used a threshold load trainer for inspiratory muscle training (30 breaths each time, twice per day) with the initial pressure set at 25%-30% of the maximum inspiratory pressure.