Twenty-one patients who underwent elective surgery for coronary artery bypass were studied right after chest wall closure. They were anesthetized, paralyzed, and artificially ventilated with a constant-flow ventilator. Airflow, changes in lung volume, and tracheal pressure were measured. Respiratory system resistance (Rrs,max) was partitioned into its homogeneous (Rrs,min) and uneven (Rrs,u) components. Respiratory system elastance (Ers) was also measured. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups injected with test solutions just after chest wall closure: eleven patients received isotonic saline (0.9% NaCl solution), whereas the remaining ten were injected with hypertonic saline (7.5% NaCl solution). In all patients, mechanical parameters were measured at six different times: just before infusion, at 5 and 10 min (end of infusion); and at 15, 20, and 25 min after beginning of injection. No statistically significant differences were observed in respiratory system mechanical parameters between groups or between different times within each group. Our data suggest that hypertonic saline infusion does not result in significant changes in respiratory system mechanics in patients submitted to coronary artery bypass.