Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) is one of the most commonly performed cardiac surgeries for the management of coronary artery disease. Postoperative pulmonary complications such as reduced lung volumes, impaired respiratory muscle function, decreased breath-holding time, and ineffective coughing frequently occur following CABG, leading to delayed recovery and prolonged hospitalization. Respiratory physiotherapy interventions, including the Buteyko Breathing Technique (BBT) and Incentive Spirometry (IS), are widely used to improve pulmonary function and facilitate postoperative recovery. However, limited evidence exists regarding their comparative effectiveness in improving breath-holding time following CABG surgery.

Aim

To compare the effectiveness of the Buteyko Breathing Technique and Incentive Spirometry on breath-holding time in patients after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

Objectives

1. To assess the effect of Buteyko Breathing Technique on breath-holding time in post-CABG patients.


2. To assess the effect of Incentive Spirometry on breath-holding time in post-CABG patients.


3. To compare the effectiveness of both interventions in improving respiratory outcomes following CABG surgery.

Methodology

A comparative experimental study was conducted on 42 patients who underwent Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. Subjects were randomly allocated into three groups consisting of 14 participants each. Baseline assessment was performed before intervention. Group A received Buteyko Breathing Technique along with conventional physiotherapy, Group B received Incentive Spirometry along with conventional physiotherapy, and Group C received conventional physiotherapy. The interventions were administered over the prescribed treatment period. Outcome measures included Breath Holding Time and Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) scores, assessed before and after the intervention. Statistical analysis was performed using paired t-tests for within-group comparisons and one-way ANOVA for between-group comparisons. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.

Results

The results demonstrated significant improvements in post-treatment outcomes within all groups. Group A showed improvement in LCQ scores from 87.07 ± 1.64 to 96.79 ± 1.58, Group B improved from 87.86 ± 1.70 to 97.57 ± 1.28, and Group C improved from 87.07 ± 1.98 to 96.86 ± 1.17. Within-group analysis revealed statistically significant improvements (p < 0.001) in all groups. However, between-group comparison revealed no statistically significant difference among the groups (p > 0.05), indicating comparable effectiveness of the interventions.

Conclusion

The study concludes that both Buteyko Breathing Technique and Incentive Spirometry are effective in improving breath-holding time and respiratory-related quality of life in patients following Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. Although Incentive Spirometry demonstrated slightly higher post-treatment mean values, no statistically significant superiority was observed between the interventions. Therefore, both techniques can be effectively incorporated into postoperative cardiac rehabilitation programs to enhance respiratory recovery and functional outcomes.