The Effect of Balloon-Blowing Exercise on Postoperative Pulmonary Functions in Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty

General anesthesia, prolonged immobilization, and pain may adversely affect pulmonary function in patients undergoing prosthetic surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of balloon-blowing exercises on pulmonary functions in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. The patients in the experimental group performed three sets of balloon-blowing exercises in the morning, at noon, and in the evening on the first to third days postoperatively. The increase in forced vital capacity (FVC) values between the control and experimental groups in the postoperative period was statistically significant ( p < .001), in favor of the experimental group. The increase in forced expiratory volume during the first second (FEV 1 )/FVC ratio was found to be significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group ( p < .001). Patients who performed balloon-blowing exercises increased their FVC and FEV 1 /FVC ratio.