Demographic and haemodynamic characteristics at baseline
| Placebo | Bosentan | p-value | |
| Subjects n | 10 | 20 | |
| Demographic variables | |||
| Age yrs | 65±7.9 | 69.5±8.8 | 0.184 |
| Male | 7 (70) | 11 (55) | 0.694 |
| Weight kg | 76.9±16.4 | 66.3±14.0 | 0.075 |
| Height cm | 165±6.1 | 166.9±6.9 | 0.464 |
| Body mass index | 28.1±4.7 | 24.0±5.9 | 0.064 |
| Pack-yrs | 80±38 | 38±21 | 0.001 |
| Ex-smoker | 8 (80) | 18 (90) | 0.584 |
| Current smoker | 2 (20) | 2 (10) | 0.584 |
| Symptoms | |||
| Dizziness | 4 (40) | 4 (20) | 0.384 |
| Peripheral oedema | 2 (20) | 5 (25) | 1 |
| Physical examination | |||
| Wheezing | 2 (20) | 8 (40) | 0.420 |
| Rales | 1 (10) | 1 (5) | 1 |
| GOLD stages | |||
| III# | 6 (60) | 11 (55) | 1 |
| IV¶ | 4 (40) | 9 (45) | |
| Exercise tolerance | |||
| 6-min walking distance m | 331±116 | 339±81 | 0.817 |
| Borg dyspnoea index levels | 5.3±2.4 | 5.1±2.1 | 0.084 |
| Regular medication use | |||
| Long-term oxygen therapy | 3 (30) | 8 (40) | 0.702 |
| Chronic diuretic use | 3 (30) | 5 (25) | 1 |
| Short-acting β2-agonists | 10 (100) | 20 (100) | 1 |
| Long-acting β2-agonists | 10 (100) | 20 (100) | 1 |
| Long-acting-anticholinergics | 10 (100) | 20 (100) | 1 |
| Inhaled steroids | 10 (100) | 20 (100) | 1 |
| Vital signs | |||
| Respiratory frequency breaths·min−1 | 18±3 | 20±5 | 0.291 |
| Peripheral O2 saturation % | 92 (4) | 93 (4) | 0.510 |
| fC beats·min−1 | 90±12 | 88±15 | 0.759 |
| Systolic blood pressure mmHg | 142±19 | 129±16 | 0.069 |
| Diastolic blood pressure mmHg | 87±7 | 78±9 | 0.009 |
| Echocardiography | |||
| Pulmonary hypertension at rest ≥30 mmHg+ | 6 (60) | 14 (70) | 0.584 |
| Median estimated systolic Ppa at rest mmHg+ | 37 (20–42) | 32 (29–38) | 0.779 |
| Left ventricular ejection fraction % | 57±9 | 61±10 | 0.321 |
Data are presented as mean±sd, n (%) or median (interquartile range), unless otherwises stated. GOLD: Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; fC: cardiac frequency; Ppa: pulmonary arterial pressue. #: 30% predicted less than forced expiratory volume in one second ≤50% pred; ¶: forced expiratory volume in one second ≤30% pred; +: estimated pulmonary pressures without adding central venous pressure.