Timing is everything: could physiotherapy minutes after extubation prevent lung complications?
NCT ID NCT07730034
First seen Jul 28, 2026 · Last updated Aug 13, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This trial tests whether starting respiratory physiotherapy within one hour of breathing tube removal after elective coronary artery bypass surgery improves lung function and reduces complications compared to waiting until the next day. Forty adults undergoing planned heart surgery will be randomly assigned to early physiotherapy or standard care. The study measures lung function, pulmonary complications, hospital stay length, pain, and anxiety to see if earlier intervention makes a difference.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- early postoperative physiotherapy protocol including breathing exercises, airway clearance, early mobilization, and progressive ambulation
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could lead to a simple, low-cost change in post-surgery care that reduces lung complications and speeds recovery after heart surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 40 participants, so results may not apply to all heart surgery patients. The intervention is safe but may not provide clear benefits over standard care.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18-80 years * Male and female participants * Elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) * Body mass index (BMI) \< 30 kg/m² * Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) \> 25% * Extubated on postoperative day 0 (POD 0) * Able and willing to provide written informed consent * Able to perform spirometry and follow study instructions Exclusion Criteria: * Refusal or inability to provide informed consent * Emergency CABG surgery * Previous cardiac surgery * Severe cardiac arrhythmias (e.g., ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation, third-degree atrioventricular block) * Previous stroke * Motor impairment of upper or lower extremities due to neurological or musculoskeletal disease * Dyskinesia * Not extubated on POD 0 * Significant postoperative neurological complications * Peripheral arterial disease of the lower extremities or previous lower-limb amputation * Acute or chronic pulmonary disease * Preoperative FEV1 \<30% of predicted (greater than 70% reduction) * Inability to perform spirometry correctly * Cancelled surgery after preoperative assessment * Extubation later than 24 hours after surgery * Requirement for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) after extubation SpO₂ \<90% one hour after extubation despite oxygen supplementation (4 L/min by nasal cannula) * Return to the operating room after the initial CABG procedure * Requirement for dialysis (acute or chronic)
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University Hospital Centre Zagreb
RECRUITINGZagreb, 10000, Croatia
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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