Table 3

Mean (SE) values of lung function, ratings of breathlessness, number of numbers read and number of numbers read per breath over 60 seconds before and after drainage of the pleural effusion

	Before drainage	After drainage	Mean (95% CI) difference	p value for difference	% change
FEV₁ (l)	0.87 (0.10)	1.04 (0.12)	0.17 (0.06 to 0.28)	0.006	20
FVC (l)	1.09 (0.13)	1.30 (0.16)	0.21 (0.08 to 0.34)	0.004	19
Breathlessness score over the past 24 hours
At worst	7.4 (0.6)	4.0 (0.5)	3.4 (1.7 to 5.1)	0.005	46
On average	4.5 (0.5)	2.4 (0.4)	2.1 (0.8 to 3.4)	0.008	47
Amount of trouble or bother	6.6 (0.5)	2.3 (0.7)	4.3 (2.3 to 6.3)	0.002	65
No. of numbers read	66.9 (2.5)	82.5 (4.8)	15.6 (9.8 to 21.4)	0.0001	23
No. of numbers read per breath	4.8 (0.8)	7.7 (1.2)	2.9 (1.1 to 4.7)	0.003	60

FEV₁ = forced expiratory volume in one second; FVC = forced vital capacity.