What should you know about incentive spirometer for pneumonia?

Pneumonia can make breathing painful and tiring, so people may take shallow breaths and cough less effectively. An incentive spirometer gives visual feedback while you breathe in slowly, helping you practise lung expansion when a clinician considers it appropriate. It does not diagnose pneumonia, remove mucus by itself or treat the bacteria or virus causing the illness. Recovery also depends on the prescribed plan, rest, fluids when suitable, movement as tolerated and review of worsening symptoms.

Sit upright, support a sore chest if your care team recommends it, and breathe in steadily through the mouthpiece. Take a normal breath between attempts and stop for dizziness, sharp chest pain or marked breathlessness. Coughing afterwards may help clear secretions if your clinician has shown you how. Take antibiotics exactly as prescribed when they are prescribed, and do not use the device instead of them. Clean and store it according to the instructions.

Seek urgent help for severe breathing difficulty, blue or grey lips, new confusion, fainting, chest pressure, coughing blood or inability to keep fluids down. Contact your clinician promptly if fever returns, breathing becomes harder, chest pain increases, or you are becoming unusually weak or sleepy. A slow recovery deserves review rather than repeated forceful breathing exercises.

Ask whether this device is suitable for you, how often to use it, whether coughing exercises or physiotherapy are appropriate, and which changes should trigger review. Confirm how to take prescribed medicines and when your breathing and activity should be reassessed.