Table 1. Baseline characteristics.
| Oxygen (n = 148) | Control (n = 141) | |
| Demographic characteristics | ||
| Age in years; mean (SD) | 73 (12) | 71 (12) |
| Male gender; n (%) | 65 (44) | 72 (51) |
| Prognostic factors | ||
| Living alone; n (%) | 61 (41) | 52 (37) |
| Independent in basic activities of daily living; n (%) | 122 (82) | 121 (86) |
| Normal verbal response; n (%) | 102 (69) | 92 (65) |
| Able to lift affected arm; n (%) | 92 (62) | 92 (65) |
| Able to walk; n (%) | 20 (14) | 21 (15) |
| Probability: non-dependent at 6 months; median (IQR) | 0.19 (0.02, 0.55) | 0.27 (0.03, 0.66) |
| Probability: 30-day survival; median (IQR) | 0.23 (0.15, 0.40) | 0.23 (0.13, 0.37) |
| Concomitant medical problems | ||
| Ischaemic heart disease; n (%) | 34 (23) | 37 (26) |
| Left ventricular failure; n (%) | 16 (11) | 18 (13) |
| Atrial fibrillation; n (%) | 34 (23) | 19 (14) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/asthma; n (%) | 14 (10) | 12 (9) |
| Details of the stroke | ||
| Time (hh:mm) since stroke; mean (SD) | 17:48 (8:46) | 16:31 (8:08) |
| Hemiparesis; n (%) | ||
| Right | 59 (40) | 61 (43) |
| Left | 76 (51) | 66 (47) |
| None | 11 (7) | 14 (10) |
| Aetiology; n (%)a | ||
| Ischaemic stroke | 136 (91) | 121 (86 |
| Haemorrhagic stroke | 9 (6) | 15 (11) |
| Not established | 3 (2) | 5 (4) |
| Total anterior circulation syndrome; n (%) | 71 (51) | 71 (51) |
| Glasgow Coma Scale score (3–15); (median, IQR) | 15 (15, 15) | 15 (15, 15) |
| NIHSS score (0–42); median (IQR) | 6 (3, 10) | 5 (3, 10) |
| Oxygen saturation at randomization; % mean (SD) | 96.1 (1.9) | 96.1 (2.0) |
a
Patients presenting with symptoms of stroke were defined as infarcts when the computed tomogram (CT) of the head showed no evidence of an alternative diagnosis.
A diagnosis of haemorrhage included intracerebral, subdural and subarachnoid haemorrhages. Aetiology could not be established in cases where a CT was not performed. SD = standard deviation; IQR = interquartile range; NIHSS = National Institutes for Health Stroke Scale.