Table 2.
Statistical analysis of primary outcomes1.
| Symptom | Time | Group |
Mean difference |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acupuncture | Control | Cupping | Δ1 | Δ2 | Δ3 | ||
| Oxygen saturation (%) |
Before intervention | 86.2±2.90a,b | 87.83±2.72a | 85.19±4.75b | 1.63 (0.40 to 2.85) |
2.64 (0.96 to 4.31)** |
-1.01 (-2.7 to 0.68) |
| Day 3 | 93.12±5.36a | 87.5±4.42b | 94.02±3.88a | -5.62 (-7.75 to -3.48)*** |
-6.52 (-8.30 to -4.73)*** |
0.9 (-1.09 to 2.89) |
|
| Day 7 | 96.2±2.84a | 87.61±6.47b | 96.72±1.40a | -8.59 (-10.75 to -6.42)*** |
-9.11 (-11.09 to -7.12)*** |
0.52 (-0.43 to 1.47) |
|
| P value (within groups) | <0.001 | 0.194 | <0.001 | ||||
| Respiratory rate (per minute) |
Before intervention | 22.44±4.88a | 24.64±6.06a,b | 26.79±6.99b | 2.2 (-0.18 to 4.58) |
-2.15 (-4.96 to 0.66) |
4.35 (1.75 to 6.94)** |
| Day 3 | 16.32±4.53a | 24.81±5.83b | 21.35±4.87c | 8.49 (6.22 to 10.75)*** |
3.46 (1.16 to 5.75)** |
5.03 (3.01 to 7.04)*** |
|
| Day 7 | 13.32±3.15a | 21.81±6.01b | 13.3±1.22a | 8.49 (6.4 to 10.57) |
8.51 (6.67 to 10.34)*** |
-0.02 (-1.03 to 0.99) |
|
| P value (within groups) | <0.001 | 0.007 | <0.001 | ||||
1
Data is represented by mean ± standard deviation for groups and mean (95% confidence interval) for mean difference; different letters (a-c) show significant statistical difference between groups and significance levels are represented as Δ1: acupuncture compared to control; Δ2: cupping compared to control; Δ3: acupuncture compared to cupping: * P<0.05, ** P<0.01, or *** P<0.001.