Lung-volume reduction improves dyspnea, dynamic hyperinflation, and respiratory muscle function

摘要

Lung-volume reduction surgery (LVRS) improves static lung elastic recoil in selected patients with se- vere chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This explains the increase in FEV_1 in many COPD patients who undergo LVRS, but fails to explain clinical improvement in those without changes in FEV_1. We prospectively evaluated 17 patients after pulmonary rehabilitation but prior to and again at Least 3 mo after bilateral LVRS done via median sternotomy.