Characteristics of participants
| Characteristic | Randomised (n=70) | Lost to follow-up (n=12) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMT (n=34) | Control (n=36) | IMT (n=6) | Control (n=6) | |
| Age (year), mean (SD) | 59 (16) | 59 (13) | 67 (11) | 50 (10) |
| Gender, n males (%) | 24 (71) | 21 (58) | 4 (67) | 2 (33) |
| Diagnosis, n (%) | ||||
| Sepsis | 4 (12) | 9 (25) | 0 (0) | 1 (17) |
| Pneumonia | 4 (12) | 7 (19) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Multitrauma | 6 (18) | 8 (22) | 0 (0) | 2 (33) |
| CVA | 1 (3) | 1 (3) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Respiratory failure | 4 (12) | 1 (3) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Cardiothoracic surgery | 1 (3) | 1 (3) | 2 (33) | 0 (0) |
| Abdominal surgery | 3 (9) | 1 (3) | 2 (33) | 0 (0) |
| Encephalopathy/seizures | 3 (9) | 4 (11) | 1 (17) | 1 (17) |
| Other | 8 (24) | 4 (11) | 1 (17) | 2 (33) |
| APACHE II scores, mean (SD) | 20.1 (7.8) | 22.9 (8.3) | 23.5 (9.0) | 19.3 (12.0) |
| Highest SOFA score, mean (SD) | 7 (4) | 8 (4) | 4 (2) | 7 (5) |
| Length of ICU stay (days), mean (SD) | 15 (6) | 13 (8) | 20 (7) | 9 (1) |
| Total duration of ventilation (days), mean (SD) | 11 (4) | 10 (2) | 14 (7) | 8 (1) |
| Duration of PSV (days), mean (SD) | 10 (4) | 9 (3) | 12 (7) | 7 (1) |
APACHE II, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation score; CVA, cerebrovascular accident; ICU, intensive care unit; IMT, inspiratory muscle training; PSV, pressure support ventilation; SOFA, sequential organ failure assessment score.