Time course of lung volumes, respiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity and sleep quality for both groups
| Time related to discharge | |||
| M0 | M12 | M24 | |
| FEV1 % pred | |||
| NPPV group | 26.6±8.7 | 26.8±8.9 | 27.5±10.6 |
| LTOT group | 31.0±11.4 | 30.9±11.3 | 30.8±11.1 |
| Treatment effect (lower and upper 95% CI) | −0.3 (−13.1–+2.4) | −1.1 (−4.5–+2.1) | |
| VC % pred | |||
| NPPV group | 54.4±17.2 | 52.9±17.0 | 55.3±18.2 |
| LTOT group | 62.1±14.7 | 60.0±14.3 | 59.8±12.3 |
| Treatment effect (lower and upper 95% CI) | −0.7 (−6.2–+4.8) | −3.1 (−8.1–+1.8) | |
| MIP cmH2O | |||
| NPPV group | 50.0±20.0 | 50.7±19.7 | 50.6±20.6 |
| LTOT group | 45.7±20.9 | 48.4±27.5 | 48.1±27.2 |
| Treatment effect (lower and upper 95% CI) | 2.1 (−3.6–+7.7) | 1.8 (−4.2–+7.9) | |
| 6MWD m | |||
| NPPV group | 201±125 | 202±120 | 183±118 |
| LTOT group | 247±110 | 244±108 | 232±111 |
| Treatment effect (lower and upper 95% CI) | −4.4 (−37.5–+28.6) | 3.3 (−39.0–+45.7) | |
| Sleep score | |||
| NPPV group | 2.5±1.1 | 2.0±0.9 | 1.7±0.8 |
| LTOT group | 2.2±1.2 | 2.58±1.1 | 2.3±1.3 |
| Treatment effect (lower and upper 95% CI) | 0.29 (0.0–+0.7) | 0.31 (+0.1–+1.0) | |
Data are presented as mean±sd
M: month
M0: discharge
FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second
NPPV: noninvasive positive pressure ventilation and long-term oxygen therapy
LTOT: long-term oxygen therapy alone
CI: confidence interval
VC: vital capacity
MIP: maximal inspiratory pressure
6MWD: 6-min walking distance test
Patient numbers for analysis of considered variables in NPPV and LTOT groups, respectively: FEV1 39 and 46; VC 39 and 45; MIP 38 and 46; 6MWD 37 and 42; and sleep score 39 and 46