The improvement in functional capacity, as evaluated by the distance walked on the ISWT, was significantly greater in the
experimental group than in the control group (MD 130 m, 95% CI 77 to 182). When calculated as a standardised effect size, the between-group difference equated to a Cohen’s d of 1.39. No significant between-group differences occurred in the variables monitored during the ISWT: heart rate, percentage of predicted maximal heart rate, SpO2 and Borg dyspnoea and fatigue scales (data not shown). The SpO2 during the aerobic training did not show any desaturation < 84%, as outlined in the Methods section.