# Effect of position management combined with active cycle of breathing techniques on reducing postoperative pulmonary complications in lung cancer patients

## TL;DR

Combining position management with breathing techniques may reduce lung complications and improve recovery in lung cancer patients after surgery.

## Contribution

This study introduces a combined approach of position management and ACBT to reduce postoperative pulmonary complications in lung cancer patients.

## Key findings

- The combined approach reduced postoperative pulmonary complications to 4.3% compared to 23.2% in the control group.
- Patients in the combined group had shorter chest tube duration and hospital stays.
- Oxygen saturation and patient satisfaction were significantly improved in the combined group.

## Abstract

To explore the effect of position management combined with active cycle of breathing techniques (ACBT) in reducing postoperative complications in patients with lung cancer.

Between March 2022 and March 2023, 213 patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical lung cancer surgery at a tertiary hospital in Dalian were screened and randomized into three groups: control (routine nursing, n=71), experimental group 1 (routine nursing + ACBT, n=73), and experimental group 2 (routine nursing + ACBT + position management, n=69). After excluding 6 patients, 207 were analyzed (69 per group). Outcomes compared included incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications, duration of chest tube placement, hospital stay, postoperative oxygen saturation (SpO₂), and nursing satisfaction.

Postoperative pulmonary complications occurred in 23.2% (17/69) of the control group, 13.0% (9/69) of experimental group 1, and 4.3% (4/69) of experimental group 2 （X2, p=0.007）. Repeated measures ANOVA showed significant differences in SpO₂ across groups (p < 0.001), time points (p< 0.001), and their interaction (p < 0.001) on postoperative days 1–5. The average drainage tube duration was 3.74 ± 2.83 days (control),3.90 ± 3.25 days (group 1), and 2.74 ± 1.11 days (group 2) (H=10.638, p=0.005). The postoperative hospital stays were 6.42 ± 3.76 days (control), 6.39 ± 4.33 days (group 1), and 4.99 ± 1.24 days (group 2) (H=7.868, p=0.020). Satisfaction scores were 4.46 ± 0.50 (control), 4.66 ± 0.48 (group 1), and 4.87 ± 0.34 (group2) (H=26.121, p=0.000).

Position management combined with active cycle of breathing techniques (ACBT) may promote respiratory secretion clearance, potentially reduce postoperative pulmonary complications, shorten chest tube duration and hospitalization, and improve oxygen saturation and patient satisfaction in lung cancer patients. These findings suggest potential clinical benefits of the combined approach in perioperative nursing for lung cancer patients; however, larger multicenter trials with longer follow-up are required to validate these results.