title: Pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength and quality of life in patients submitted to elective thoracotomies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate pre-and postoperative pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength and quality of life in patients submitted to elective thoracotomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We selected 19 patients undergoing elective thoracotomy to assess the following parameters: forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) and quality of life through implementation of the SF-36. The examinations were performed preoperatively and in the second, 10th, 15th, 30th and 60th days postoperatively. We conduced data normality analyzes were made with the Shapiro-Wilk test, descriptive analysis of the study variables, as well as analysis of variance with multiple comparisons using ANOVA and Friedman, p-value <0.05 .
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant decrease in spirometric levels and in maximal respiratory pressures in the second postoperative day. FVC returned to preoperative values between the 15th and 30th postoperative days, whereas FEV1, between the 10th and 15th. MIP and MEP returned to preoperative values between the 10th and 15th postoperative days. There was a decrease in quality of life as for functional capacity and physical aspects, which returned to preoperative values within two months after surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was significant reduction in lung function and respiratory muscle strength, which returned to baseline within 30 days after surgery. There was a decrease in quality of life that persisted for up to 60 days after the operation.
authors.affiliation: Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy, Heart Institute, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil. erick_borges@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Erickson
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Borges-Santos
authors.forename: Isabel Cristina Hilgert
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Genz
authors.forename: Aline Felipe
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hayahsi
authors.forename: Cristiane Golias
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Laryssa Milenkovich
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bellinetti
authors.forename: João Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Thomson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012132:Respiratory Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D012143:Respiratory Physiological Phenomena; D013908:Thoracotomy