Patient characteristics at follow-up
| All patients | Respiratory failure | Symptom control only | p-value | |
| Subjects n | 36 | 20 | 16 | |
| Average PCO2 at follow-up kPa | 6.1±0.7 | 6.3±0.7 | 5.8±0.6 | 0.012 |
| Hours of NIV | 2.9 (0–10.4) | 1.8 (0–9.7) | 3.2 (0.3–10.4) | 0.484 |
| Number of follow-up visits | 5 (1–18) | 7 (1–18) | 5 (1–14) | 0.464 |
| Months between visits | 4.7 (0.3–17.7) | 4.4 (0.3–17.7) | 4.9 (1.2–8.0) | 0.796 |
| Stopped NIV | 14 (39) | 7 (35) | 5 (31) | 0.813 |
| Felt benefit | 18 (50) | 8 (40) | 10 (63) | 0.180 |
| Somnolence at follow-up | 23 (64) | 13 (65) | 10 (63) | 0.877 |
Data are presented as mean±sd, n (%) or median (range), unless otherwise stated. Values in bold represent statistically significant results. PCO2: carbon dioxide tension; NIV: noninvasive ventilation.