Data on admission of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in acute respiratory failure treated with iron lung ventilation (ILV) or invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV)
| ILV | IMV | p‐value | |
| Patients n | 22 | 22 | |
| M/F | 19/3 | 13/9 | |
| Age yrs | 72.2±6.1 | 74.5±7.5 | 0.259 |
| Weight kg | 67.7±13.9 | 68.1±16.2 | 0.93 |
| Height cm | 164.0±8.6 | 164.0±6.9 | 1 |
| FEV1 % pred# | 33.7±13.5 | 35.0±8.7 | 0.741 |
| VC % pred# | 61.1±12.9 | 57.5±9.3 | 0.294 |
| FEV1/VC# | 41.0±14.5 | 46.1±11.4 | 0.246 |
| MRC dyspnoea scale¶ | 3 (2–4) | 3.5 (2.0–4.0) | 0.711 |
| Glasgow Coma Score+ | 14 (3–15) | 12 (7–15) | 0.121 |
| SAPS II§ | 32 (17–42) | 35 (20–47) | 0.194 |
| Pa,O2/FI,O2 | 192.0±59.8 | 172.0±61.7 | 0.277 |
| Pa,CO2 kPa | 12.8±2.1 | 13.3±2.4 | 0.531 |
| pH | 7.20±0.04 | 7.20±0.04 | 0.455 |
| HCO3 mM | 36.2±4.8 | 37.4±8.2 | 0.663 |
Data are presented as mean±sd or median (range) unless otherwise stated
M: male
F: female
FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second
VC: vital capacity
MRC: Medical Research Council
SAPS: simplified acute physiology score
Pa,O2: arterial oxygen tension
FI,O2: inspiratory oxygen fraction
Pa,CO2: arterial carbon dioxide tension
#: functional measurements were obtained in stable conditions 1–12 months before or after the acute exacerbations
¶: from 16
+: from 17
§: from 18