How To Use an Incentive Spirometer to Understand Patient's Lung Function (with NCLEX review)

Nurses often care for patients whose lung capacity diminishes for a variety of reasons. An incentive spirometer is one tool used by nurses to recruit alveolar function.

This video is about Incentive Spirometer. There are two types: Flow and Volume driven spirometers. Lung volumes deal with ventilation, the movement of air in and out of the lungs: air that moves through the trachea, bronchial trees down to the alveoli. Tidal volume is the normal volume of air we move with each relaxed breath. We have the ability to breathe in more and exhale more as we use the inspiratory and expiratory reserve volumes. The good news is that we never actually run out of air .... because we always have a residual volume of air in the lungs.

For patients who have a hard time breathing, we will assess these volumes to help diagnose pulmonary (lung) pathology, monitor treatments, and evaluate the effectiveness of those treatments in meeting care goals.

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The incentive spirometer is one tool used to help patients increase the ability of the respiratory system, so it is in the best possible position for maximal gas exchange.

Many patients will need one: surgical patients, reduce mobility, geriatric patients, airway concerns such as burns, a risk for infection (hematological disorders), immunity, and all respiratory and cardiovascular pathology.

if your patient is unable to use the incentive spirometer, deep breathing and coughing is a great alternative! Splinting techniques also covered in this video

Learn how to teach your patient how to use the incentive spirometer and how you can assess and document the patient's efforts. Don't forget the NCLEX type question!


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