In cardiac surgery, patients are at risk of phrenic nerve injury, which leads to diaphragm dysfunction and acute respiratory failure. Diaphragm dysfunction (DD) is relatively frequent in cardiac surgery and particularly affects patients after coronary artery bypass graft. The onset of DD affects patients’ prognosis in term of weaning from mechanical ventilation and hospital length of stay. The authors present a narrative review about diaphragm physiology, techniques used to assess diaphragm function, and the clinical application of diaphragm ultrasound in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
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