Recovering from surgery involves more than healing an incision or managing pain—it also means protecting and restoring your respiratory health. After undergoing anesthesia and surgical procedures, your lungs are especially vulnerable to complications that can delay recovery and increase risk.
Post-operative pulmonary complications (PPCs) such as atelectasis or lung infections like pneumonia remain a leading cause of extended hospital stays and increased mortality, yet many of these complications can be prevented with timely, targeted respiratory care. Post-operative respiratory therapy serves as a vital bridge between the operating room and full recovery, helping patients breathe easier and heal faster.
For both patients and healthcare professionals, understanding and implementing post-operative respiratory therapy is essential. Monaghan Medical offers innovative, evidence-based devices to support optimal recovery—including nebulizers, positive airway pressure (PAP) and oscillating positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) therapy tools designed to assist with medication delivery, lung expansion and mucus clearance.
We’re proud to support both patients and healthcare providers with proven, easy-to-use tools that assist in promoting lung function and reducing the risk of PPCs.
Why Post-Operative Respiratory Therapy Matters: Preventing Complications
Anesthesia medications affect the central regulation of breathing and relaxes your respiratory muscles1 like your diaphragm which can reduce lung capacity during and after surgery. Your breathing becomes shallow, and mucus can build up in your airways creating the perfect environment for respiratory problems to develop. In fact, research shows that 5-10% of patients undergoing non-thoracic surgery and 22% of high risk patients develop breathing complications after surgery.
Post-operative respiratory therapy prevents a cascade of serious complications that can derail your recovery. Atelectasis, the partial collapse of lung tissue, is among the most common of these complications, affecting nearly 90% of patients within hours of surgery. This condition occurs when small air sacs in your lungs deflate, reducing oxygen flow throughout your body.
Pneumonia represents another major concern. When secretions accumulate in your airways, bacteria multiply rapidly, leading to infection. The combination of reduced immune function after surgery and impaired cough reflexes creates an ideal breeding ground for harmful microorganisms.
Hypoxemia, or low blood oxygen levels, can cause confusion, irregular heartbeat, and delayed wound healing. Your body needs adequate oxygen to repair tissues and fight infection. Without proper respiratory support, even minor surgical procedures can lead to extended hospital stays and increased medical costs.
Respiratory complications increase healthcare costs by an average of $52,000 per patient episode2. These preventable problems consume valuable medical resources and increase the cost of care. PPCs can delay discharge and increase the recovery and financial burden for patients and their families.
The good news? Most of these complications and can be prevented with timely and proactive respiratory care after surgery. Monaghan Medical’s respiratory care devices empower both patients and clinical teams to take action early and improve outcomes through targeted therapy.
Key Techniques and Exercises for Post-Operative Lung Health
Deep Breathing: Anesthetic gases can cause your respiratory muscles to be uncoordinated into the post operative recovery period. Deep breathing after surgery works to re-expand collapsed areas of your lungs, helping to restore normal muscle function and prevent the downward spiral of respiratory decline. These exercises form the foundation of post-operative respiratory care.
Coughing and Secretion Clearance Techniques: Controlled coughing techniques help clear mucus without causing excessive pain or strain. Techniques such as splinted coughing (using a pillow to support the incision) can reduce discomfort and improve effectiveness.
Nebulizer Therapy with Monaghan Devices: For patients who require bronchodilators, corticosteroids, or mucolytic agents after surgery, nebulizer therapy can play a vital role in improving lung function and managing secretion removal. Monaghan Medical offers aerosol delivery devices designed for optimal medication deposition in the lungs. These handheld, easy-to-use systems ensure consistent, targeted delivery of inhaled medications—enhancing symptom relief and supporting post-operative respiratory goals.
Nebulizers are especially helpful for patients with underlying respiratory conditions like asthma or COPD, or those recovering from thoracic or abdominal surgery where effective breathing may be impaired.
Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) Devices: For patients who need more help re-expanding their lungs than deep breathing or incentive spirometry can achieve. PAP Therapy using the Monaghan VERSAPAP® PAP device is a gentle way to offer lung expansion therapy and open up collapsed airways caused by hypoventilation atelectasis. This therapy is effective in reducing shortness of breath and oxygen requirements that can prolong ICU stays.
Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure (OPEP) Therapy: Another key therapy supported by Monaghan is OPEP therapy, using the Aerobika® OPEP device. This handheld tool provides gentle resistance and vibration during exhalation, to help open collapsed airways, mobilize mucus from the lungs, and improve overall airway clearance. This therapy is clinically proven to reduce rehospitalization after COPD exacerbations and is increasingly used in post-operative care to reduce the risk of pneumonia and other mucus-related complications.
Oscillations and Lung Expansion (OLE): This therapy can be initiated while still on the breathing machine using a pneumatic device, however it is not always obvious if you will need both therapies until after the breathing tube is removed. At that time OLE can also be offered by combining the Aerobika® OPEP device to the VersaPAP® PAP device using the AeroVerse® System of Care by Monaghan Medical. Together these devices augment the inspiratory flow to help you take in a larger breath and maximize the exhalation with oscillations. Inflating collapsed airways and improving mucus clearance will help your breathing so you can get up in a chair or out walking.
Early mobilization accelerates respiratory recovery more than bed rest. Walking stimulates breathing and circulation, helping to prevent blood clots and respiratory complications.
By using proven techniques like deep breathing, coughing exercises, nebulizer therapy, and oscillating PEP therapy, patients can significantly reduce their risk of complications and speed their return to normal life.
Prioritizing Respiratory Recovery After Surgery
Monaghan Medical is committed to supporting both patients and healthcare teams with effective, accessible respiratory solutions—from targeted aerosol delivery systems to airway clearance with the Aerobika® OPEP Device. By prioritizing lung health after surgery, we can make every breath count toward a stronger, faster recovery.
Our clinically proven equipment helps optimize medication delivery and airway clearance, making it easier for patients to participate in their recovery. Healthcare teams trust our state-of-the-art devices because they consistently deliver reliable performance when patients need it most.
Citations:
1. Warner, D. Weiskopf, R. Preventing Postoperative Pulmonary Complications: The Role of the Anesthesiologist. Anesthesiology 2000; 92:1467–1472 doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/00000542-200005000-00037
2. Grott K, Chauhan S, Dunlap JD. Atelectasis. [Updated 2022 Apr 6]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545316/
The information provided on this website is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
For questions about the clinical references, therapeutic claims, or product usage described herein, please contact Monaghan Medical Corporation.
