An incentive spirometer is a device that helps you practice taking slow, deep breaths. It can help your lungs get stronger and healthier after surgery or an illness. It also can help clear mucus that can build up in your lungs.
The CareFusion AirLife Volumetric Incentive Spirometer is a handheld device with an intuitive design that keeps your lungs clear after the surgery or if you have a lung disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pneumonia.
It is designed for breath and lungs exercise and is ideal for patients who can correctly perform and monitor their breathing exercises without any direct supervision.
To use the spirometer, you must first sit upright in a chair or bed, hold the mouthpiece of the spirometer in your mouth, and close your lips tightly around it.
As you breathe in, you should see a piece inside the spirometer rise, usually marked by a marker. The piece looks like a small ball or disk that will stay suspended as long as you keep your breathing effort high.
You should try to get the piston to rise as high as possible, and the coaching indicator on the right side of the spirometer should also rise, staying between the two arrows.
If the indicator does not stay between the arrows, you’re probably breathing in too fast or too slowly.
It can be difficult to use the spirometer at first, but you’ll improve with time and practice. It can take 10 to 12 times each hour, or as often as your healthcare provider tells you to.
