The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of opioid analgesics and relaxation as interventions for incentive spirometry in postcardiovascular surgery patients. With the use of incentive spirometry change scores from pre- to posttreatment, 72 patients received either relaxation, opioid analgesia, or no intervention. Pre- to posttreatment differences in achieved spirometry volumes were significantly different for the 3 groups (F[2, 69] = 7.32; p =.002), whereas no difference in spirometry volume was found between the opioid and relaxation groups. Relaxation was as effective as opioid analgesia in permitting postcardiovascular surgical patients to deep breathe.