Table 1.

Research strategy used on PubMed.

#1	"Cardiac Surgery"[MeSH] OR "Cardiac Surgery" OR "Surgery, Thoracic" OR "Surgery, Cardiac" OR "Surgery, Heart" OR "Heart Surgery" OR "Procedure, Cardiac Surgical" OR "Procedures, Cardiac Surgical" OR "Surgical Procedure, Cardiac" OR "Surgical Procedures, Cardiac" OR "Surgical Procedures, Heart" OR "Cardiac Surgical Procedure" OR "Heart Surgical Procedures" OR "Procedure, Heart Surgical" OR "Procedures, Heart Surgical" OR "Surgical Procedure, Heart" OR "Heart Surgical Procedure"
#2	"Coronary Artery Bypass"[Mesh] OR "Coronary Artery Bypass" OR "Artery Bypass, Coronary" OR "Artery Bypasses, Coronary" OR "Bypasses, Coronary Artery" OR "Coronary Artery Bypasses" OR "Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery" OR "Bypass, Coronary Artery" OR "Aortocoronary Bypass" OR "Aortocoronary Bypasses" OR "Bypass, Aortocoronary" OR "Bypasses, Aortocoronary" OR "Bypass Surgery, Coronary Artery" OR "Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting"
#3	"Tricuspid Valve Replacement" OR "Tricuspid Valve Surgery" OR "Valve     Replacement" OR "Valve Surgery" OR "Mitral Valve Replacement" OR "Mitral Valve Surgery" OR "Aortic Valve Replacement" OR "Aortic Valve Surgery"
#4	#1 OR #2 OR #3
#5	"Noninvasive ventilation"[MeSH] OR "Noninvasive Ventilation" OR  "Noninvasive Ventilations" OR "Ventilation, Noninvasive" OR "Ventilations,     Noninvasive" OR "Non-Invasive Ventilation" OR "Non-Invasive Ventilations"   OR "Ventilation, Non-Invasive" OR "Ventilations, Non-Invasive" OR "Non   Invasive Ventilation" OR "Non Invasive Ventilations" OR "Ventilation, Non Invasive" OR "Ventilations, Non Invasive" OR "bilevel ventilation" OR  "Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation" OR "CPAP" OR "BIPAP"
#6	"Continuous Positive Airway Pressure"[Mesh] OR "Continuous Positive  Airway Pressure" OR "CPAP Ventilation" OR "Ventilation, CPAP" OR "Biphasic Continuous Positive Airway Pressure" OR "Bilevel Continuous Positive Airway Pressure" OR "Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure" OR "Ncpap Ventilation" OR "Ventilation, ncpap"
#7	"Positive-Pressure Respiration"[Mesh] OR "Positive-Pressure Respiration
#8	#5 OR #6 OR #7
#9	(randomized controlled trial[pt] OR controlled clinical trial[pt] OR randomized controlled trials[mh] OR random allocation[mh] OR double-blind method[mh] OR single-blind method[mh] OR clinical trial[pt] OR clinical trials[mh] OR ("clinical trial"[tw]) OR ((single*[tw] OR double*[tw] OR OR triple*[tw]) AND (mask*[tw] OR blind*[tw])) OR ("latin square"[tw]) OR placebos[mh] OR placebo*[tw] OR random*[tw] OR research design[mh:noexp] OR follow-up studies[mh] OR prospective studies[mh] OR cross-over studies[mh] OR control*[tw] OR prospective*[tw] OR volunteer*[tw]) NOT (animal[mh] NOT human[mh])
#10	#4 AND #8 AND #9