Characteristics of patients
| Conventional management (n=40) | Early discharge (n=41) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 68.0 (1.2) | 65.7 (1.6) |
| Women | 24 (60%) | 22 (54%) |
| Living alone | 13 (33%) | 11 (27%) |
| Home nebuliser | 19 (48%) | 24 (59%) |
| Home oxygen | 5 (13%) | 8 (20%) |
| Oral steroids | 5 (13%) | 4 (10%) |
| Pao 2 (kPa) | 9.2 (0.4) | 8.5 (0.4) |
| Paco 2 (kPa) | 5.5 (0.2) | 6.0 (0.3) |
| H+ (nM) | 40.0 (0.8) | 39.3 (0.8) |
| FEV1 (l) | 0.94 (0.06) | 0.95 (0.08) |
| FEV1 (% predicted) | 44 (3) | 41 (3) |
| FEV1/FVC (%) | 46 (2) | 45 (2) |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 25.8 (1.1) | 26.0 (1.2) |
Pao 2, Paco 2 = arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions; FEV1 = forced expiratory volume in one second; FVC = forced vital capacity.
Values are mean (SE) except where numbers and percentages are given.
There were no significant differences between the groups.