Early Postoperative Physiotherapy to Prevent Respiratory Insufficiency After Elective Heart Surgery

This study aims to determine whether starting respiratory physiotherapy one hour after removal of the breathing tube following elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery leads to better recovery than the current standard approach, in which physiotherapy begins on the first postoperative day. The study will evaluate whether earlier physiotherapy improves lung function, reduces postoperative pulmonary complications, shortens intensive care unit and hospital stay, decreases pain and anxiety, and improves overall recovery after surgery. The main question is whether very early postoperative respiratory physiotherapy provides additional benefits for patients recovering from elective heart surgery compared with standard postoperative care.

NCT Number	NCT07730034
Lead Sponsor	Dijana Filipović Collaborators: Clinical Hospital Centre Zagreb
Conditions	CABG, Respiratory Insufficiency, Postoperative Pulmonary Complications (PPCs)
Enrollment	40 participants
Start Date	2026-08-04
Primary Completion	2027-05 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-06 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-08-12