Introduction: Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in developed and developing countries. According to World Health Organization estimates, 17.9 million people died of CVD in 2016, representing 31% of all global deaths. Material and Method: Integrative review carried out in the databases PubMed, SciELO, Lilacs and PEDro, based on the guiding question of the search: “what is the effect of respiratory techniques on the lung function of patients undergoing cardiac surgery?”, And crossing of the terms: breathing exercises AND preoperative AND cardiac surgery (all terms present in MEsh and DeCs) from May to June 2020. Results: 104 articles were found in the selected databases, 67 articles were excluded, 37 were selected for full reading, eight of which were part of this review. Discussion: The present integrative review aimed to analyze the effects of respiratory techniques on lung function in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Patients undergoing a cardiac surgical procedure, mainly develop postoperative pulmonary dysfunction with significant reduction in lung volumes, impaired respiratory function, decreased lung compliance and increased respiratory work. Final Considerations: Respiratory techniques such as breathing exercises and / or respiratory muscle training employed in patients undergoing a cardiac surgical procedure, improve lung function, consequently improving respiratory muscle strength as a whole, also interfering in the reduction of post-respiratory complications. CRM in this population.Keywords: Cardiac surgery; Breathing Exercises; Preoperative.
A rare neurological complication after a cardiac surgical procedure
