Characteristics of patients with and without perceived symptomatic benefit from noninvasive ventilation (NIV)
| Symptomatic benefit | No symptomatic benefit | p-value | |
| Subjects n | 18 | 18 | |
| Age | 48.6±14.4 | 47.3±11.3 | 0.750 |
| Gender male | 9 (50) | 8 (44) | 0.739 |
| Somnolence at admission | 16 (89) | 14 (78) | 0.371 |
| Somnolence at follow-up | 12 (67) | 12 (67) | 1.000 |
| PCO2 at admission kPa | 5.9 (5.1–11.8) | 6.9 (5.5–8.6) | 0.707 |
| PCO2 at follow-up kPa | 5.8 (4.9–7.8) | 6.1 (5.5–7.7) | 0.037 |
| NIV hours at follow-up | 4.3 (0.2–10.4) | 1.6 (0–8.0) | 0.047 |
| FEV1 % pred | 65±20 | 69±19 | 0.623 |
| FVC % pred | 65±22 | 69±19 | 0.562 |
Data are presented as mean±sd, n (%) or median (range), unless otherwise stated. Values in bold represent statisitically significant results. PCO2: carbon dioxide tension; FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC: forced vital capacity.