Table II. —Variables of subjects in major secondary outcome measures at four weeks after intervention according to group allocation.
| Variables | Study intervention (N.=57) | Control intervention (N.=58) | Comparisons of changes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preintervention | Postintervention | Post-pre | Preintervention | Postintervention | Post-pre | P value § | |
| Spirometry | |||||||
| FEV1 (L) * | 1.15±0.27 | 1.21±0.32 | 0.06±0.17 | 1.10±0.26 | 1.19±0.32 | 0.08±0.17 | 0.553 |
| FEV1%predicted (%)† | 40.83 (32.80, 47.20) | 39.80 (34.60, 49.51) | 1.50 (-2.10, 6.30) | 40.40 (32.20, 45.20) | 42.05 (34.40, 50.30) | 1.75 (-1.20, 5.20) | 0.673 |
| FVC (L) * | 2.50±0.52 | 2.63±0.47 | 0.12±0.32 | 2.46±0.55 | 2.60±0.50 | 0.14±0.35 | 0.725 |
| FEV1/FVC (%) † | 43.71 (40.50, 53.63) | 43.63(38.33, 53.52) | -0.12 (-3.15, 3.26) | 45.24 (39.83, 53.03) | 44.91 (38.79, 52.89) | 0.20 (-4.46, 3.71) | 0.717 |
| Maxima ventilation volume (L/min) * | 44.97±13.74 | 48.03±13.42 | 3.37±10.75 | 42.74±13.23 | 45.08±14.45 | 2.97±9.07 | 0.503 |
| Peak expiratory flow (L/s) * | 3.47±1.11 | 3.70±1.25 | 0.23±0.77 | 3.40±1.06 | 3.61±1.08 | 0.21±0.68 | 0.982 |
| mMRC* | 1.63±0.74 | 1.33±0.61 | -0.30±0.57 | 1.65±0.66 | 1.42±0.56 | -0.22±0.53 | 0.526 |
| mMRC grade 0 N. (%) ‡ | 0 (0.00%) | 1 (1.75%) | 0 (0.00%) | 0 (0.00%) | |||
| mMRC grade 1 N. (%) ‡ | 29 (50.88%) | 39 (68.42%) | 26 (44.83%) | 35(60.34%) | |||
| mMRC grade 2 N. (%) ‡ | 20 (35.09%) | 14 (24.56%) | 26(44.83%) | 21(36.21%) | |||
| mMRC grade 3 N. (%) ‡ | 8 (14.04%) | 3 (5.26%) | 6 (10.34%) | 2 (3.45%) | |||
| PaCO2 (mmHg) † | 40.80 (38.60, 43.40) | 41.60(39.30, 43.90) | 1.20 (-1.10, 2.50) | 39.15 (36.70, 42.80) | 39.90 (36.50, 44.10) | 0.60 (-2.30, 2.60) | 0.524 |
| PaO2 (mmHg) † | 77.20 (72.50, 85.10) | 78.30 (74.10, 84.80) | 1.10 (-3.40, 5.30) | 77.70 (73.00, 84.20) | 79.20 (72.50, 84.50) | 1.00 (-5.60, 6.40) | 0.566 |
| Diaphragm motion in quiet breathing (cm) * | 2.26±0.69 | 2.39±0.76 | 0.13±0.98 | 2.28±0.60 | 2.34±0.63 | 0.06±0.77 | 0.672 |
| Diaphragm motion in deep breathing (cm) * | 4.70±1.24 | 5.01±0.93 | 0.31±1.27 | 4.53±0.96 | 4.85±0.98 | 0.32±1.03 | 0.938 |
Data are reported as the mean±standard deviation, or median (25th centile, 75th centile) unless stated otherwise; P>0.05 in inter-group analysis and intra-group analysis after four weeks of intervention. mMRC: modified Medical Research Council; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FVC: forced vital capacity; PaCO2: partial pressure of carbon dioxide; PaO2: partial pressure of oxygen. *Independent t-Test; †Wilkinson Rank Test for non-normally distributed data; ‡χ2 test was used to compare groups; §comparisons of changes in post minus preintervention between groups.