Effect of deep breathing exercise on pain and selected physiological parameters among the patients undergone abdominal surgery

Introduction: Upper abdominal surgery and with general anaesthesia have adverse impact on the respiratory system leading to postoperative pulmonary complications. Abdominal surgeries are performed routinely for the treatment and diagnosis of many diseases. Postoperative pulmonary complications following abdominal surgery is frequent. This is responsible for increased morbidity and mortality as well as duration of hospital stays and health related cost of care. Methodology: The experimental one group post-test design was used to evaluate effect of deep breathing exercise on pain and selected physiological parameters among the patients undergone abdominal surgery. The structured questionnaire was prepared and tested for reliability and validity. The data collection was carried out in three phases and the data was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Result: The study found that smoking was the only demographic factor significantly associated with post-surgical pain (p = 0.013), while other variables like age, gender, education, and type of surgery showed no correlation. Pain levels in the experimental group significantly reduced after intervention (p = 0.0001), while no meaningful improvement was observed in the control group (p = 0.4344). Respiratory status in the experimental group also improved post-intervention (p = 0.0001), whereas the control group showed negligible changes (p = 0.8844). These results highlight the effectiveness of targeted interventions in reducing post-operative pain and improving respiratory health. Conclusion: The deep breathing exercise was effective in reducing the pain and other complications in the patients undergoing abdomen surgery.