Therapeutic gains of prolonged bronchial dilatation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The clinical spectrum of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and refractory asthma. Other important features are airway obstruction and clinical exacerbations. Exacerbations that occur 1 to 3 times per patient per year more rapidly decrease lung function but also substantially affect quality of life and the economic cost of COPD. Niewoehner and colleagues' report of a large, multicenter patient cohort takes on added importance because of these considerations about therapeutic approaches for COPD.