Influence of physiotherapeutic practice in mechanical ventilation process of patients admitted to the ICU overnight after non-complicated cardiac surgery

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to verify the influence of physical therapists on the mechanical ventilation process of patients who underwent non-complicated cardiac surgery admitted to the Cardiac ICU overnight. Documentary and retrospective study with adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery admitted to the ICU overnight from November 2010 to October 2011 with physiotherapeutic care for 12 hours (n=51), and from November 2011 to October 2012 with physiotherapeutic care for 24 hours (n=43), at the University Hospital of the Federal University of Maranhão. For statistical analysis, we used Chi-square, Student's t, and G tests; data were considered statistically significant when p