Function of an incentive spirometer

The handheld device has a mouthpiece and a chamber with a marker or piston that responds to your inhalation. Sitting upright, you breathe in slowly through the mouthpiece rather than blowing out forcefully. The visual marker shows the flow or volume you reach, while a separate indicator may help you keep the breath controlled. Deep breathing can help reduce shallow breathing after surgery, illness, or a period of limited movement, when discomfort makes full breaths less natural.

Use the device only as your clinician instructed. Sit upright, keep the mouthpiece sealed between your lips, inhale slowly, hold the breath briefly if advised, then remove the mouthpiece and breathe out normally. Rest between attempts if you feel light-headed. Coughing afterward may help clear mucus, but do not force the breath if it causes sharp pain. Clean and store the device according to the supplied instructions, and do not share a mouthpiece.

Stop and tell your care team if the exercise causes chest pain, severe breathlessness, faintness, or worsening pain around an incision. Seek urgent help for sudden breathing difficulty, blue or grey lips, confusion, or coughing blood. A device cannot treat a blocked airway or replace assessment of a new or worsening symptom.

Ask what target marker is suitable for you, how often to practise, whether pain relief should be timed before use, and how to clean the device. Clarify which changes in breathing or sputum should be reported.