| Baseline | After 3 months | Change within group | Between group difference in change (95% CI) | |
| Paco2 (kPa) | ||||
| N+R | 6.89 (0.68) | 6.44 (0.69) | −0.45 | −0.32 (−0.6 to −0.1)* |
| R | 6.81 (0.81) | 6.71 (0.58) | −0.10 | |
| Pao2 (kPa) | ||||
| N+R | 7.82 (1.03) | 8.26 (1.20) | 0.44 | 0.25 (−0.2 to 0.7) |
| R | 8.33 (1.25) | 8.33 (0.93) | 0.01 | |
| HCO3− (mmol/l) | ||||
| N+R | 29.2 (2.3) | 28.4 (2.4) | −0.9 | −0.7 (−1.8 to 0.4) |
| R | 29.4 (2.7) | 29.1 (1.8) | −0.3 |
HCO3−, bicarbonate; N+R, non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) + rehabilitation group; Paco2, arterial carbon dioxide pressure; Pao2, arterial oxygen pressure; R, rehabilitation group.
All assessments at daytime on room air at rest without NIPPV.
*Significant difference in change between groups.