How To Use Your Incentive Spirometer

In this video, we’ll show you how to use your incentive spirometer.

An incentive spirometer is a device that will help you breathe more deeply, which will expand your lungs.

The parts of your incentive spirometer include: the base, the mouthpiece with flexible tubing, a piston that shows how much you inhaled, a coaching indicator, and a marker to mark the highest level you reached with the piston.

The first time you use your incentive spirometer, you will need to stretch out the tubing and connect it to the outlet on the right side of the base.

To begin, sit upright in a chair or in a bed. Hold the incentive spirometer at eye level.

Put the mouthpiece in your mouth and close your lips tightly around it. Slowly breathe out completely. Now, breathe in slowly through your mouth as deeply as you can.

As you breathe in, you will see the piston rise inside of the large column. While the piston rises, the indicator on the right should also rise and float between the 2 arrows.

Try to get the piston as high as you can, while keeping the indicator between the 2 arrows. If the indicator doesn’t stay between the arrows, you’re breathing either too fast or too slow.

When you get the piston to reach as high as you can, hold your breath for at least 3 to 5 seconds, or longer if you can.

While you’re holding your breath, the piston will slowly fall to the base of the spirometer. Once the piston reaches the bottom of the spirometer, breathe out slowly through your mouth.

Rest for a few seconds.

Do this 10 times.

Try to get the piston to the same level with each breath.

After the set of 10 breaths, put the marker at the level you reached with the piston. Make sure to put it where the top of the piston reached. This will be your goal next time.

Repeat these steps every hour that you’re awake. This will help to re-expand your lungs after your surgery.

If you have any questions, contact your nurse or respiratory therapist.

You can also find more information online at msk.org/pe.